The state will reimburse Kent County for some 8,000 hours it's spent working on groundwater contamination.
The Grand Rapids Press reports that the state will reimburse the Kent County Health Department over half a million dollars for the work it's done.
Fourteen county health employees took on the issue of PFAS last fall, that’s when the emerging contaminant began making local headlines on a regular basis.
The chemical compounds -- collectively known as PFAS -- are often used in firefighting foam and waterproofing materials.
PFAS are being discovered at high levels in waterways and drinking wells across the state.
Governor Snyder established a task force, The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team – or MPART, with the sole goal of ridding the state of these chemicals. PFAS have been linked to kidney and testicular cancer in studies.
The county hired a full time epidemiologist to work on PFAS related issues earlier this year.
You can read more about MPART and its latest discoveries here.
