U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, met with local officials in Bay City to learn more about a PFAS-contaminated fire station he helped secure funding for the station. This was one of the many stops the senator has planned for his final annual motorcycle tour around the state.
PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, are a collection of synthetic chemicals in everyday products that have been linked to causing poor health. Scientists have found that these chemicals can last for over 1,000 years before breaking down.
In 2020, PFAS leeched into the surrounding area and sewer system near Fire Station No. 2 on Bay City's southside after tanks of fire retardant began leaking, according to Bay City Fire Chief Kurt Corradi.
In February, Peter’s office helped secure $959,000 in grant funding to help clean the contamination. The city is still trying to find the best way to use those funds.
“It’s incredibly expensive to clean up,” he said. “We should instead prevent it from even getting into the ground to begin with. So, all PFAS legislation that allows us to phase it out is something I fully support. I'm proud to have passed legislation already in that area, but we have to do more.”
Corradi said that there will need to be extensive renovations done to reduce the amount of contamination at the fire station. The city is looking at different ways to seek additional funding to help with the clean-up process.
“The only way to effectively clean this up, which was written in the grant, is to clean the entire site and take a foot to two feet of dirt off the entire site,” Corradi said.
He said that the 24-hour staffed station did some work to mitigate the amount that entered local sewer systems but that the safety of the station is “up for debate.”
Corradi said the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy recommends his crew wear long sleeves and an N95 mask when conducting any lawn care around the station.
Peters also got updates on equipment purchases that fire departments in the area were able to get after receiving $1.3 million in funding from Peter’s Fire Grants and Safety Act, which was signed into law in 2023.
Midland Fire Chief Joshua Mosher and Saginaw Fire Chief Brandon Hausbeck were in attendance and talked with the senator about their departments.
“It's really gratifying, after we do that work, to come back and actually see it,” Peters said.
