Contamination in an Oakland County creek that feeds into the Huron River and its chain of lakes is setting a new state record for PFAS present today in Michigan surface water.

PFAS foam on Huron River in Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor Township 30 Gallery: PFAS foam on Huron River in Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor Township

Contamination in an Oakland County creek that feeds into the Huron River and its chain of lakes is setting a new state record for PFAS present today in Michigan surface water.

Now the source of the pollution is under orders to outline steps it will take to reduce how much of the chemical it's sending into the waterway by October 19.

Testing at Norton Creek by the state on July 24 showed a reading of 5,500 parts per trillion (ppt) of PFOS, an individual compound in the PFAS family of poly- and per-fluorinated "forever chemicals" linked to cancer and other health conditions, according to state environmental officials.

That level is more than 450 times what the state allows in surface waters and 78 times the lifetime health advisory for human consumption.

The PFOS concentration also exceeds most reported readings at Clark's Marsh near the closed Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda. Testing for PFAS chemicals since 2011 placed that location at the top of the state's measurable PFOS pollution by several thousand parts per trillion before filtration systems were installed.

"The numbers for Norton Creek are astronomical," said Laura Rubin, executive director of the Huron River Watershed Council. "They are really alarming."

The test results were shared Thursday, Sept. 20, with regional officials on an online seminar organized by the Department of Environmental Quality, one day after the city of Wixom issued an administrative order to Tribar Manufacturing to reduce or eliminate the PFAS it is sending into the city's wastewater treatment plant.

The Huron River and its tributaries have been the focus of increased attention by the DEQ and other state agencies as Michigan continues to test and define the extent of contamination. PFAS has been found since 2014 in the drinking water for the city of Ann Arbor, which uses the river for 85 percent of the water sent to water customers.

Testing accellerated this summer after disclosure by Wixom that its wastewater treatment plant has been discharging treated water containing PFAS into Norton Creek. The city discovered that in mid-June, as it followed through on mandatory testing initiated by state officials targeting PFAS.

Since then, the Huron River has been a target of an escalating series of public health warnings. By Labor Day weekend, all fish in the five-county watershed from north Oakland County to Lake Erie were called unsafe to eat due to levels of PFAS.

DEQ officials on Sept. 20 confirmed that a single industrial wastewater customer in Wixom -- identified through documents obtained by MLive.com as Adept Plating and Plastics, now operating as Tribar Manufacturing Inc. -- is the only identified source of the enforceable PFOS contamination.

The company's influent -- or water going into the Wixom wastewater treatment plant - reached 28,000 ppt of PFOS, one chemical in the PFAS family. The state is now looking to the city to reduce the amount flowing into Norton Creek in the treated water, which measures 290 ppt. State laws allow up to 12 ppt of PFOS to be discharged into surface water.

"This is very elevated from what we'd like them to be at," said Stephanie Kammer of the DEQ's water quality unit.

The city is now working with the company to reduce the PFOS, Kammer said, noting that it's an emerging issue with evolving timelines and technology.

"It's not something they can just turn a switch overnight," Kammer said.

However, the company now faces a deadline: By October 19, it has to tell Wixom how the "violations occurred and how future violations will be prevented." It also has to provide a detailed work plan on how it will prevent pass-through contamination while it works on a solution, as well as pay for the city's ongoing testing.

State officials informed the manager of Wixom's wastewater treatment plant in a letter sent Aug. 6 that the city was expected to do monthly tests of its effluent and "work cooperatively" with the confirmed source of PFOS.

Steve Brown, Wixom's city manager, said the is waiting for results of the latest test in late August. Beyond that, he said, both the city and DEQ have been in contact with Tribar.

"We understand people are concerned," Brown said. He added that the city is navigating an emerging situation without a roadmap for a solution.

A statement from Adept/Tribar said the automotive supplier that produces chrome-plated plastic components has been doing pilot testing of emerging technology since May. That effort, it said, "may be able to address this condition in its waste stream and is aggressively working towards a comprehensive solution."

DEQ spokesman Scott Dean said the company has hired a contractor to set up a granular activated carbon filter for the water it sends to the city's treatment plant.

"The facility has been cooperative and responsive to any requests and inspections," Dean said in an email.

State officials said that they continue to seek any other polluters on the chain of lakes, but so far there is no other identified source. Additional PFOS readings beyond the Norton Creek location, which is in the Proud Lake State Recreation Area, total 1,400 ppt just northwest of the creek as it moves toward the Huron River; 2.4 ppt to the east; 15 ppt at Strawberry Lake in Livingston County; 11 ppt and 9 ppt north of and in Dexter, respectively; and 26 ppt in Willow Run Creek, east of Ypsilanti.

That additional testing is helping state officials hone in on the source problem, they said.

The ability to narrow down the source of the extensive contamination should be a tool for reducing it, Rubin said.

"I think there's a couple of things that could come quickly," she said, "like regulatory enforcement."

She continued: "This is one factory, and we have the technologies out there.... I'd like to see a focus on getting this site cleaned up."

Meanwhile, testing details continue to show how the contamination is affecting the entire watershed -- and, potentially, public health. Results showed that fish taken from Kent Lake near Milford and Argo Pond in Ann Arbor exceeded safety levels, while fish from Base Line Lake in Livingston County was close to the borderline.

Additional fish sampling is taking place, according Jennifer Gray of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Results are pending from Portage Lake on the Livingston-Washtenaw County border. More samples will be taken from Barton Pond and Argo in Ann Arbor, and testing will soon be underway on new samples from Belleville Lake and Flat Rock.

The DEQ did not test foam on the Huron River in Ann Arbor, but city officials did as they elevate their focus on PFAS beyond drinking water. The city operates four dams on the Huron River as part of its drinking water program, and foam at each dam was tested.

Results showed reading of total PFAS up to 58,868 ppt. That data was sent to the state, though officials told MLive.com that they used other indicators to set a rare "do not eat" foam advisory on Sept. 18.

Three other communities in the state are under foam advisories: Van Etten Lake in Oscoda, also near Clark's Marsh and the closed Wurtsmith base; the Rogue River near the Rockford Dam and contamination traced to Wolverine World Wide; and the Thornapple River, downstream of contamination at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport near Grand Rapids.

Ranges in the other foam advisories range from 319 total PFAS in the Thornapple River to 296,584 ppt in Rockford.

While the city was not mandated by the state to test the foam, "we took the initiative," said Brian Steglitz, water treatment manager for Ann Arbor. "We wanted to be proactive to find out what the foam concentrations were for our own knowledge and for the benefit of people who use the river in the community."

That river use now means that people should release any fish caught, and avoid letting pets drinking from the river or its lakes and streams. While the state suggests that skin absorption of PFAS isn't a health issue, people also are advised to avoid situations where the foam could be ingested - such as through splashing.

Here are the full results of Ann Arbor's foam testing:

Downstream of Barton Dam: PFOA and PFOS was 15,065 ppt; total PFAS reached 18,200 ppt.

Downstream of Argo Dam: PFOA and PFOS was 11,390 ppt; total PFAS reached 13,386 ppt.

Downstream of Geddes Dam: PFOA and PFOS reached 40,086 ppt; total PFAS reached 56,868 ppt.

Downstream of Superior Dam: PFOA and PFOS reached 4,972 ppf; total PFAS reached 25,223 ppt.

Rubin joined other officials in hoping that testing efforts soon turn to cleanup. State Reps. Ronnie Peterson, D-Ypsilanti Township, and Donna Lasinski, D-Scio Township, both issued statements raising concerns as warning about the river extended to the PFAS foam.

Lasinski called again for the state Legislature to address a proposed bill to strengthen drinking water standards.

"I'm encouraged to see the DEQ following up" to see if there are additional polluters in the Huron River, Rubin said.

Yet, she added, she also wants to be able to answer calls from people who wonder how long PFAS will remain in the watershed. The lack of clarity on an answer is frustrating.

“It sounds like it would be a two- to five-year process,” she said, “but they really don’t know.”