COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – There has been a lot of media coverage recently about PFAS being found in southwest Michigan drinking water supplies. Parchment residents were forced last month to use bottled water after tests showed PFAS levels at 26 times higher than federal health advisory levels.
Coldwater Board of Public Utilities Director Jeff Budd says in his report to the CBPU Board for Tuesday’s meeting that while many residents have asked about the water supply in Coldwater, they have no reason to suspect PFAS is present in their aquifer.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that includes PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and many other chemicals. PFAS have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries around the globe, including in the United States since the 1940s. PFOA and PFOS have been the most extensively produced and studied of these chemicals.
Both chemicals are very persistent in the environment and in the human body – meaning they don’t break down and they can accumulate over time. According to the federal Environmental Protect Agency, there is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects.
The State of Michigan is handling the PFAS testing and Budd says Coldwater is not scheduled to be tested until the middle of December.
Meanwhile, Budd says the Water Department has finished their lead and cooper sampling of the water and it continues to show results significantly below Michigan Department of Environmental Quality standards. Budd says they continue to fall under the D.E.Q.’s reduced monitoring program due to previous testing history.
