MARINETTE (NBC 26) -- Cleanup efforts to get a human-made chemical out of area waters are being called a whole new ballgame. The state DNR has been working to identify PFAS in water across the state; Wednesday morning they released a new report saying low levels of contamination have been found in the Peshtigo River.
If you remember, Tyco had been testing their firefighter foam in Marinette and in the Town of Peshtigo. Part of that foam was found to contain PFAS. The chemical then made its way into the ground water affected area bodies of water.
This summer, the DNR began testing surface water in five areas across the state for signs of PFAS. Wednesday, they confirmed it had been detected in the Peshtigo River; however areas of higher contamination are in Monroe County and in Madison.
Wednesday night, the DNR held a second public forum to talk about local concerns at the Community Rec Center in Marinette. Tami Ryan, the acting director for the DNR Bureau of Wildlife Management announced the DNR will start a program this winter to begin testing deer for PFAS.
Ryan said this program is a work in progress. She said it is a possibility that they collect data from deer that have been hit by cars or ask the community to submit deer for testing. Ryan adds, this program idea came from a similar study completed in Michigan.
If you missed Wednesday night’s meeting, you can watch it online; click the link below for more information. Their next session will be held at the Marinette Community Rec Center on November 20th.
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New reports released by the DNR have confirmed low levels of PFAS, a chemical found in firefighting foam, have been found in the Peshtigo River.
This is the first round of testing that the DNR has completed.
Water samples were taken earlier this summer across the state to look for these human-made chemicals. Five of the sites, including the Peshtigo River, found some contamination concentrations were higher though in Madison and in Monroe County.
On Wednesday night, the DNR is hoping to address concerns in Marinette as four of the sampling sites on or near this river were found to have some levels of PFAS. This is their second public forum in Marinette at the community rec center.
They are also going to be talking about sampling for PFAS in deer. Their next listening session is scheduled for next month. They'll be hosting an afternoon and evening session on November 20th.
Click here to learn more from the DNR.
