Elevated levels of PFAS found at Wayland recycling facility - WOODTV.com
Elevated levels of PFAS found at Wayland recycling facility | WOODTV.com
WAYLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team is investigating elevated levels of PFAS at Wayland Recycling Inc., on West Elm Street.
In a press release issued Monday, the agency reported that groundwater tests conducted in 2021 found levels of PFOS — perfluorooctane sulfonic acid — at 40 parts per trillion. The state safety standard is 16 ppt. Tests also showed Perfluorohexane sulfonate at 80 ppt, above the state safety standard of 51 ppt.
MPART believes the PFAS contamination stems from the site’s history as a waste oil treatment and recycling facility. Waste oil was placed in aboveground and underground storage tanks. There are recorded leaks from those tanks.
Test results also found detectable levels of “volatile organic compounds,” heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls.
The agency says groundwater at the site flows to the southwest toward the Rabbit River.
The city of Wayland runs on a municipal water system. However, MPART reports one residential well and one irrigation well is in the vicinity of the site. The agency plans to run samples on those wells later this spring.
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