ROBINSON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — State officials are continuing their investigation to elevated levels of PFAS in water in Robinson Township.
Last fall, Robinson Elementary School was notified of a contamination and immediately started using bottled water for drinking and cooking. Grand Haven Area Public Schools Superintendent Andrew Ingall said the school is actively working on getting an on-site water filtration system.
Since PFAS was discovered, state officials have been performing more tests.
In the most recent round of testing, 10 groundwater samples were taken, all of which came back positive for PFAS. Three of four soil samples also tested positive.
The highest concentration of PFAS in groundwater was found on property north of the Fire Department building with 2,142 parts per trillion — well above the state safety standard of 70 ppt. Groundwater at Robinson Elementary School was found at 409 ppt.
Investigators didn’t determine a specific cause of the contamination but said they don’t believe it was from AFF foam, a fire suppression foam used by departments across the country.
Robinson Township fire officials said they had no historical knowledge of crews using it in the area, and the foam currently used by the department doesn’t contain PFAS.
Updates on the investigation will be provided on Ottawa County and State of Michigan’s websites.
