Tyco Moving To Permanent Solution To PFAS Issues Issue Date: November 25, 2020 Director of Environmental Communications and Issue Management of Tyco, Johnson Control Inc. (JCI), Kathleen Cantillion shared information on Tuesday, Nov. 17 that after three years of intensive studies and defining problems, Tyco, (JCI) announced that the PFAS clean up is entering a new phase, moving from investigation and interim remediation to permanent solutions.
Katie McGinty, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Tyco, (JCI) announced 10,000 plus data points were collected to try to understand exactly where the PFAS is moving and how it moves through the environment. McGinty said, "We now have a very clear picture of how it moves from the surface into the ground water. This data enables Tyco to pin point where the pollution is and with the advanced technology we will be able to clean the PFAS out of the environment".
McGinty continued, "The data points painted a clear picture of where the PFAS is now, where it has moved to and how we can now move forward. For the past three years our number one job was to define the problem and we had scientists and engineers examining the soil, water and surface water that extended in a variety of directions around the Fire Training Center (FTC) property. Reports that summarize all of the data collected has been shared with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR)".
There is a conceptual site model that models the entire area and shows where the pollution (PFAS) has impacted in the surface, ground and air. Most of the pollution over the past 30 years has moved through the soil and is in the ground water flowing from west to east. The data model has been shared publicly and was transmitted to the WDNR on Monday, Nov. 16.
McGinty stated, "The precise measurements now paint a very fine picture of where the contaminant is from the Tyco property, which shows the PFAS is heading East and Northeast towards Ditch B. The positive news is, because the pollution is concentrated in that direction, Tyco can pump the dirty water out of the ground and treat the water in a dedicated treatment center and be brought back into the ditch and into Green Bay as a non PFAS form. The PFAS can be taken out of the water by driving the water through carbon resin filters. The chemicals stick to the filters and the result is clean water coming out the other end".
The pump will intersect the ground water and pump the water up into the pipe. The water is then channeled into the treatment system tank. By the time the water emerges through the tank, the water comes out clean and emerges into Green Bay.
Tyco is now in the position to do pre-engineering of the system. The precise location will be determined to be somewhere between the facility and Ditch B, wherever it is determined where they will have the maximum success. This will be Tyco's top priority and they are hopeful to be able to start construction in the Spring and have the system fully operational by Fall of 2021.
This is a major part as a permanent solution to this issue along with the water line for the Town of Peshtigo residents. This will get Tyco to its goal of clean water, protecting Green Bay and provide a healthy environment.
McGinty commented, "We appreciate the patience of our neighbors and the hard work of the WDNR on all of these issues. We can now begin to deliver permanent solutions to this problem and give comfort and peace of mind to our neighbors, of which they well deserve.
All of the efforts we had under way will continue, including providing bottled water and poet systems to the affected areas. All these measures will stay in place as we build and move forward with the interim measures and will continue to update and keep moving forward. All work will continue as we add a permanent investment into a permanent solution to the pollution. We are happy to have a clear picture and clear game plan in getting rid of the PFAS".
In ending, McGinty said, "PFAS is the most wide spread contaminant with it being found in all different kinds of products. Everywhere in America you will find PFAS substances. It is important to understand where the variety of sources of PFAS are coming from, but we can usually tell where the PFAS is coming from. They each have different properties, uses and different fingerprints and we hope to have a full clear picture of all the contaminants. No matter what, we own all of it and we have a responsibility to clean it up".
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