PARCHMENT, Mich. (WOOD) — The city of Parchment is one step closer to making a permanent change to how people get water.
Since high levels of PFAS, a likely carcinogen, were found in Parchment's municipal water system this summer, the neighboring city of Kalamazoo has been providing clean drinking water. Under the initial one-year contract facilitating that, Parchment was still responsible for billing users and maintaining the system.
At Monday night’s Parchment City Commission meeting, several people spoke in favor of a new contract.
"We need the sophisticated resources that Kalamazoo offers,” Parchment resident Cheryl Lyon-Jenness said after the meeting. “They clearly have the capacity for testing, for going forward, in ways that can protect citizens."
Commissioners ultimately unanimously approved a motion to negotiate a new agreement for Kalamazoo to provide water, billing and supervision of the system.