Drilling contractor Luisier began drilling a deep well at the Andrea Maxwell site in Peshtigo on December 1, 2022. Tyco Fire Products offers free drilling services to homeowners as a possible solution to PFAS contamination from their properties. Other residents are skeptical and prefer other safe drinking water alternatives. Photo courtesy of Tyco/Johnson Controls
The well of her home in Peshtigo is next to Marinette’s fire fighting academy, where chemicals previously used in firefighting foam have seeped into the groundwater over time. Tyco Fire Products, which owns the facility, tested approximately 170 wells in the area for PFAS (also known as “permanent chemicals”).
Regulators and health experts have raised concerns about thousands of synthetic chemicals as they have been linked to serious health problems, including kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, and fertility problems. PFAS or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances do not biodegrade well in the environment.
In 2017, Tyco reported high levels of PFAS in groundwater to government regulators for the first time. The following year, residents sued the company for contaminating drinking water, and a $17.5 million settlement was reached in 2021. For the past five years, Tyco has provided residents with bottled water and home purification systems.
An aerial view of a contractor drilling a deep well at the Andrea Maxwell site in Peshtigo on December 1, 2022. Tyco Fire Products is offering free drilling services to homeowners as a potential solution to PFAS contamination at their properties Other city residents are skeptical of this option and prefer other safe alternatives to drinking water. Photo courtesy of Tyco/Johnson Controls
Environmentalists say that in some cases, but not all, deep wells can solve the problem of PFAS contamination. These chemicals can even seep into deep aquifers, and not every deep water source can provide a safe and sustainable supply of drinking water without costly treatment. But as more communities discover that the levels of PFAS in their drinking water may not be safe, some are also looking into whether deep wells could be the answer. In the southwestern Wisconsin town of Campbell in Ile de France, tests conducted in 2020 showed high levels of PFAS in private wells. The city will now drill a test well in the region’s deep aquifer to see if it can be a safe source of drinking water.
In northeast Wisconsin, Tyco is facing multiple lawsuits related to PFAS contamination. Earlier this year, the Wisconsin Department of Justice sued Johnson Controls and its subsidiary Tyco for failing to report high levels of PFAS in the state’s groundwater for years. Company officials said they believed the pollution was limited to the Tyco site, while critics said everyone was aware of the groundwater flow.
“Can anything be done sooner? Don’t know. Possibly,” Maxwell said. “Will the pollution still be there? Yes. It will always be there and they are doing everything they can to clean it up right now.”
Not every resident affected by PFAS pollution agrees with Maxwell. About two dozen people have signed a petition calling on residents of a rural northeast Wisconsin town to join nearby Marinette for the city’s water supply. Others choose to buy water from the city of Peshtigo or build their own city water utility.
Tyco and city leaders have been discussing options for years, and both sides say talks have so far failed to reach a consensus on a permanent solution to the water problem.
This fall, Tyco began offering deep well contracts to homeowners to gauge their interest. Half of the recipients, or 45 residents, have signed up to the agreements, the company said. Under the agreement, Tyco will drill wells in deep aquifers and install residential systems to soften water and treat high levels of radium and other contaminants present in deep groundwater. Well tests in the area have shown radium levels around three to six times higher than federal and state drinking water standards.
“It’s a combination of technologies that remove these natural elements very effectively while maintaining the quality and taste of the water,” said Cathy McGinty, Director of Sustainability at Johnson Controls.
Aerial view of the Tyco Fire Training Center in Marinette. The DNR said they have data indicating that wastewater containing PFAS came from training centers. These chemicals are known to accumulate in biological solids generated at sewage treatment plants, which are then distributed to agricultural fields. Photo courtesy of Johnson Controls International
Testing showed no PFAS in the deep aquifer, which is also used by neighboring communities as a source of drinking water outside of the contaminated area around the fire academy, McGuinty said. However, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, some deep wells in the area contain low levels of PFAS compounds. The agency also expressed concern that PFAS could seep into deep aquifers.
For communities affected by PFAS, the DNR has long recognized that municipal water supply is the best option for safe drinking water. However, Kyle Burton, DNR’s director of field operations, said the agency has realized that some residents prefer deep wells, which may be a long-term solution. He said Tyco and Johnson Controls are reducing the risk of cross-contamination in these well designs.
“We know that (Johnson Controls) did their due diligence when designing the wells they thought they were, and we wanted to be able to supply PFAS-free water,” Burton said. “But we won’t know until we test these wells in the area over a period of time to make sure there’s no cross-contamination.”
The lower aquifer is generally protected, but Burton said there could be cracks in some areas that could threaten pollution. Tyco and Johnson Controls will conduct quarterly deep well tests for PFAS and other contaminants to evaluate the effectiveness of the cleanup system in the first year of installation. The DNR representative can then assess the need for less frequent monitoring.
The lower source of water may be the St. Pete Sandstone Formation or a regional aquifer under the southern two-thirds of the state. A 2020 study found that radium levels in public water supplies derived from aquifers have been increasing over the past two decades. Deeper groundwater is in contact with rocks for longer periods of time and is therefore subject to higher levels of radium, the researchers said. They also said it was reasonable to assume the situation is getting worse as municipal wells have been drilled deeper to avoid contaminating groundwater with surface pollutants.
Radium concentrations rose more in the eastern part of the state, but levels also rose in western and central Wisconsin. As concentration increases, communities or homeowners who wish to use the aquifer as a source of drinking water may be forced to undertake additional treatment, which may be more costly.
In the city of Peshtigo, Johnson Controls insists that water meet state water standards, including the state’s recently adopted PFAS standards. They also said they would comply with any new standards coming from the DNR or the EPA, which would be much lower and more protective of public health.
For 20 years, Tyco and Johnson Controls have planned to service these wells. Then it’s up to the landlord. They will only pay for one water solution for every resident that the company considers affected.
Since dozens of residents have accepted Tyco’s offer to drill a deep hole, there is no consensus that this is the best solution. For communities dealing with PFAS contamination, controversy among residents highlights the complexity of the problem and the challenge of reaching generally accepted solutions.
On Friday, Jennifer circulated a petition to rally support for turning the city’s waterfront residents into Marinette for the city’s water supply. She hopes to collect enough signatures to file with Marinette City Council by the end of March, and Tyco has paid a consultant to advise her on the merger process. If the merger occurs, the company said it would pay for the plumbing and make a lump sum payment to homeowners for any increased taxes or water rates associated with the option.
Jeff Lamont has a drinking fountain at his home in Peshtego, Wisconsin due to PFAS contamination of tap water. Angela Major/WPR
“I think it’s done,” Friday said. “You never have to worry about potential contamination, constant surveillance, needing to use cleaning systems and all that.”
Well Friday was in the pollution plume and tests showed low levels of PFAS. She gets bottled water from Tyco, but her family still uses the well water for cooking and bathing.
Peshtigo City Chair Cindy Boyle said the board is considering the DNR’s preferred alternative for accessing safe water through public facilities, whether in their own or neighboring communities.
“In doing so, it provides protective oversight through the Public Service Commission to ensure residents are drinking safe water,” Boyle said.
She noted that the city of Marinette is currently unwilling to provide water without annexing residents. Boyle added that annexing some residents would reduce the city’s tax base, stating that those who stay in the city will incur more service funding costs. Some townspeople also opposed the annexation due to high taxes, high water rates, and restrictions on hunting or bush burning.
However, there are concerns about the cost of building the city’s own water utility. At best, city estimates suggest the infrastructure could cost over $91 million to build, not including ongoing operations and maintenance.
But Boyle noted that the utility will serve residents not only in areas the company considers polluted, but also in wider areas where DNR is sampling PFAS contamination. Johnson Controls and Tyco declined to test there, saying the companies were not responsible for any contamination in the area.
Boyle acknowledged that residents are frustrated with the pace of progress and unsure if the options they are exploring are feasible for residents or the Public Service Commission. City leaders say they don’t want taxpayers to bear the cost of providing safe water through the utility.
“Our position today is the same as it was from the beginning,” Boyle said. “We want to do everything we can to provide everyone with safe drinking water on an ongoing basis at the expense of those responsible.”
But some residents, including Maxwell, got tired of waiting. This is one of the reasons they like deep well solutions.
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Post time: Dec-21-2022