PARCHMENT, Mich. (WOOD) — State tests have confirmed what Target 8 uncovered in August — that some stretches of the Kalamazoo River are highly contaminated with PFAS.
The state Department of Environmental Quality says it tested the river in about two dozen spots, many near Parchment, and found the likely carcinogen at each
It found PFAS above state limits for surface water just downstream from Parchment, in about the same area where a Target 8 test found high levels.
The highest level — 54 parts per trillion — was found even further downstream near Otsego.
It also found high levels on the river just west of Battle Creek.
The state says it also found extremely high levels of PFAS at the former Crown Vantage paper mill. One reading hit 11,500 parts per trillion — about 164 times the limit for drinking water.
They say the old mill is the likely source that contaminated Parchment's wells, forcing 3,000 residents to drink bottled water for a month.
The DEQ says it's not clear if the tests will lead to new fish advisories, since historically levels of PCBs already have led to warnings not to eat the fish.
>>Inside woodtv.com: PFAS and toxic tap water investigation