Americas
Europe
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
EspañolThank You for Requesting the Case Study: PFAS Eliminated for 4.5 Years and Counting
Background
Camp Grayling is the premier, full-spectrum joint training center in Crawford County, Michigan. As the largest National Guard training installation in the US, Camp Grayling provides year-round training support for the Michigan Army National Guard along with military commanders and civilian leaders to meet their readiness requirements. Camp Grayling has a proud history dating back to the first World War and has been instrumental in training US multi-reserve troops and Michigan National Guards corpsmen and women for every major war over the last 100 years. Camp Grayling is recognized both nationally and internationally for hosting the event, Northern Strike which is a joint training exercise involving all of the armed forces including armed forces from 12 other countries. Additionally, Grayling is home to recreational activities that include hunting, boating, and fishing and is known for its beauty, wildlife, and its many lakes and waterways.
When PFAS contamination was discovered, the first priority was to eliminate the risk that the contamination posed to the community. This is an extremely difficult class of contaminants to manage because the EPA regulatory guidelines for PFOS and PFOA compounds is set at 70 parts per trillion, which is comparable to a small drop in three Olympic-sized swimming pools. PFAS compounds are also used in many products, adding to the complexity of testing and treating these contaminants. Very soon after detecting the PFAS contamination, the Michigan DMVA hosted a town hall meeting to keep residents well-informed and to announce the residential well sampling plan.
The MVDVA proactively initiated a pilot demonstration of the new colloidal activated carbon technology called PlumeStop. This technology utilizes natural activated carbon milled to the size of a red blood cell that flows into the subsurface, converting contaminated aquifers into purifying filters. The PFAS contamination is tightly sorbed onto the PlumeStop in the subsurface, removing it from the groundwater and eliminating the downgradient risk to the community. Throughout the remediation process, the DMVA has hosted multiple town hall meetings to ensure clear communication with the Grayling community.
