OSCODA, MI — Oscoda public schools are connecting to municipal drinking water with the help of a federal grant because of PFAS contamination in local groundwater.
Superintendent Scott Moore said the Oscoda Area Schools campus on River Road south of the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base plans to have drinking water from Lake Huron flowing through school pipes and faucets within the next two weeks.
Moore said the state of Michigan has offered to help with some cost, and any remaining will come from the district sinking fund.
The Air Force is not helping fund the project, he said.
The foam was brought by Wurtsmith base firefighters as part of mutual aid responses, Moore said.
The school campus water has tested positive for low levels, around 4-ppt, Moore said.
The utility has not been tested since then, but is expected to be as part of the state’s push to test all public water systems in Michigan for PFAS contamination.
Moore said it’s "disappointing" that the Air Force is not aiding the district.
The Air Force is disputing responsibility for some Oscoda PFAS plumes outside the former base boundaries, which has brought the service branch into conflict with the state of Michigan.
U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, helped secure the grant for Oscoda, which is within his district.