KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — The city of Kalamazoo says tests conducted in the last two weeks did not find high levels of PFAS, a likely carcinogen, in its water system and that the water is safe to drink.
The tests did find some PFAS in the water at three of the city's 15 pumping stations, but at levels well below 70 parts per trillion, the state standard and federal safety advisory limit. The three stations were found to have levels of 2 ppt, 18 ppt and 19 ppt.
Those three are "peaking stations" and will be used only when crews need more water to fight a fire, when the system is being flushed or when water usage is so high the 13 other stations can't pump enough.
No PFAS at all was found in 12 of the pumps.
>>PDF: Test results
High levels of the contaminant have been found in the municipal water system for the neighboring city of Parchment. People there and in Cooper Township who get their water from the system have been told not to drink it. Bottled water is being distributed.
PFAS has also been found in private wells in the Rockford area and near the Battle Creek Air National Guard base. In those locations, the contamination has been blamed on waste dumped decades ago by shoemaker Wolverine Worldwide and firefighting foam, respectively.
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