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DEQ: Parchment wells test well above EPA advisory level for PFAS

Volunteers pass out cases of bottled water at Parchment High School.
Bryce Huffman
/
Michigan Radio
Volunteers pass out cases of bottled water at Parchment High School.

Some Parchment residents might be using bottled water for longer than they had hoped. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality found high levels of PFAS in private wells near Kalamazoo.

More than 110 private wells have been tested, and results are in for about 102 of them. A DEQ spokesperson says the results range from non-detection to 340 parts per trillion – or almost five times the EPA advisory level, which is 70 ppt.

It is unclear how many wells tested above the EPA advisory.

Residents who are on city water also are waiting before they can drink from their taps again. Last week the city of Kalamazoo connected its water system to Parchment.

A state of emergency was declared in Parchment after the state had found high levels of PFAS in the city’s water system.  

But that was last month, and the state has yet to tell residents their water is safe to drink. That’s because it is awaiting test results gathered last week.

Bryce Huffman was Michigan Radio’s West Michigan Reporter and host of Same Same Different. He is currently a reporter for Bridge Detroit.
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