Tyco’s plan to solve the PFAS contamination problem in Ditch B involves eliminating the contamination before it even reaches the waterway. Ditch B runs through the City of Marinette and empties into the bay of Green Bay and is currently being treated for PFAS by an interim action system that attempts to capture the water in the stream and purify it before releasing it again. However, that system proved ineffective this summer when heavy precipitation and high water levels created flow rates surpassing what the system could effectively treat. As a permanent solution, Bridget Kelly with the Wisconsin DNR says they’re now in preliminary talks with JCI/Tyco to install a series of groundwater extraction wells which would remove the contaminants while they were still underground.

JCI/Tyco has targeted May of 2021 as their construction start-date and hopes to have the system operational by next fall. However, Kelly says there are several permits that must be authorized before the company can move forward with this proposed source-control solution.