Eight wells were installed on airport grounds in 2021, after the airport and hundreds of others across the state were linked to groundwater contaminated with forever chemicals per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances generally known as PFAS. These chemicals have been used in firefighting foam, flame retardant in carpet and upholstery and cosmetics<\/a>. PFAS has been linked to some cancers. Twelve more wells were installed on airport grounds since 2021, as state tests continued to find unacceptable PFAS levels.<\/p>\n EGLE online records<\/a> show that in July 2023, a state contractor collected water samples at 26 of the 39 homes known to be affected. Tests found PFAS traces in two residential wells at two homes at levels below allowable limits. On Oct 31, 2023, testing on 22 homes found 15 wells exceeded groundwater clean-up criteria for PFAS. The highest result was 11,000 parts per trillion for a subtype called PFOS; the state\u2019s limit is 16 parts per trillion.<\/p>\n On Friday, airport\u2019s manager Cheryl Bush told The Oakland Press the new wells were planned as a result of the agreement with EGLE.<\/p>\n EGLE officials have been testing wells in some nearby homes and the water and fish in White Horse Lake, an eight-acre body of water downstream from the airport, north of Elizabeth Lake Road and south of Pontiac Lake Road. It\u2019s part of the Clinton River watershed<\/a> and has bluegill and panfish.<\/p>\n Abigail Hendershott is executive director of EGLE\u2019s PFAS action response team. She spoke to The Oakland Press Friday along with Stephanie Kammer, EGLE\u2019s emerging-pollutants section manager, and PFAS response team expert Mike Jury. They encourage homeowners with wells to regularly test for contaminants.<\/p>\n Township\u2019s DPW director, Justin Westlake, was also unaware of the airport\u2019s consent agreement \u2013 in part because the township has no jurisdiction over the airport property or homes that rely on wells for drinking water. The township has its own water system, which uses deep wells to draw water from the aquifer.<\/p>\n The airport is still in the investigation phase, Bush said. She said she is \u201chappy to sit down and update the township on its progress at their convenience.\u201d<\/p>\n The township\u2019s website includes water testing results for its own wells and information on PFAS chemicals classified by the federal Environmental Protection Agency<\/a> as an emerging contaminant.<\/p>\n Health and lab studies show elevated levels of PFAS may cause increased cholesterol, changes in the body\u2019s hormones and immune system, decreased fertility and increased risk of certain cancers.<\/p>\n The EPA has set a lifetime health advisory level for drinking water for two PFAS compounds but no enforceable limits for the chemicals in drinking water.<\/p>\n AIRPORT PFAS HISTORY<\/p>\n EGLE\u2019s website recaps<\/a> the airport\u2019s history. The first truck with the fire-fighting foam arrived in 1965 with 400 gallons aboard. Records on how and why the foam was used between then and 1996 to 1996 are lost.<\/p>\n Between 1996 and 2019, the foam was used in seven incidents. In March 2020 an accidental release of the foam happened during a nozzle certification on the airport property. In 2020, the airport received a grant to pay for a PFAS investigation.<\/p>\n As of Thursday, the state\u2019s website had not been updated with any tests in 2024 or 2025. The airport\u2019s PFAS webpage was updated this month, online at https:\/\/www.oakgov.com\/community\/airports\/oakland-county-international-airport\/pfas-response<\/a><\/p>\n Kammer oversees the consent agreements like the one with Oakland County\u2019s airport. The voluntary agreement gives each facility four years to create a process testing surface-water runoff for PFAS and minimizing the contamination, with the final year dedicated to ensuring ongoing compliance. The airport submitted its plan in June.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they still have exceedances they have to evaluate and update their plans to bring the site into compliance,\u201d she said. \u201cIt can be an iterative process. Oakland County airport has been very cooperative.\u201d<\/p>\n The agreement is limited to the airport itself, though state officials know there are nearby homes and waterways that may be affected.<\/p>\n EGLE officials have made four or five efforts to alert households near the airport that rely on wells, Hendershott said. Awareness campaigns include knocking on residents\u2019 doors, leaving door hangers with information and sending informational letters multiple times to ask permission to test the water.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve sampled between 40 and 45 home wells but we have many people who declined the sampling,\u201d Hendershott said. Eight of the residential wells tested were found to have unacceptable levels of PFAS.<\/p>\n WHY TESTING HOUSEHOLD WELLS MATTERS<\/p>\n She and Jury encourage homeowners to have their wells tested through the state or independently.<\/p>\n Jury said there are many sources of PFAS besides the airport\u2019s stormwater runoff.<\/p>\n They said PFAS continues to be used in manufactured products, including cosmetics, hand creams, eye drops and rug shampoo.<\/p>\n Jury said it\u2019s an ingredient that isn\u2019t yet required to be listed in many cases, but the state has an online resource where people can look up various items to check.<\/p>\n Something as simple as shampooing stain-resistant carpets or upholstery and dumping the wastewater into a septic field can increase PFAS saturation, he said.<\/p>\n EGLE doesn\u2019t offer specific guidelines on PFAS and well depths. Jury said many people don\u2019t know how deep their household wells are. There\u2019s no standard depth for residential wells because the depth depends on the water table, who made the well and when it was installed. Some are barely 14 feet deep and others could be close to 150 feet deep.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why testing matters, he said. Predicting stormwater runoff filtration depends on the various types of earth filtering the water and a well\u2019s depth.<\/p>\n The state offers tests worth nearly $300 for homes in the affected areas near the airport. If unacceptable levels of PFAS are found, they provide an under-sink water filter and other resources.<\/p>\n People outside the affected area can buy their own tests and under-sink filters, Jury said.<\/p>\n State and township officials emphasized that homeowners with wells are effectively their own water departments and should regularly test their wells for contaminants on a regular basis and maintain the electric pump.<\/p>\n![\"airshow](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/TOP-L-OIAirShow2024Courtesy.jpg\")
Crowds watch planes at the 2024 Festival of Flight at the Oakland International Airport in Waterford Township. (Courtesy, Oakland County)<\/p>\n