Consumer Advocate Erin Brokovich is speaking out on the water worries in the Rockford area. On her Facebook page, she warned residents to be careful of companies claiming they can test your water.
WZZM 13 has also received complaints from people saying that there are water companies going door to door claiming to be able to test your water for free. As we found out, there are some companies that do that, but they cannot test for PFAS chemicals.
Doug Miller says a salesman stopped by his Courtland Township home with a business card that read Wolverine.
"The First thing I thought was Wolverine Worldwide. I figured the company was wanting to check my water", says Miller, who lives about two miles away from the recently discovered Wolverine Worldwide dumpsite on House street. That location has already tested positive for PFAS chemicals. "I asked him that. Are you guys checking for Scotchgard? He says I can't tell you that. Call them and ask."
Doug never called, but is concerned about the timing. So are others.
Brokovich wrote on her Facebook "Be careful of anyone coming door to door offering you reduced price testing or home water treatment systems”.
"I think that they're taking advantage of the situation”, says Miller.
That's exactly why Wolverine water treatment systems says it is pulling its salespeople out of that area.
The 70-year-old company has nothing to do with Wolverine Worldwide. They have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and sell whole house filters.
Sales Manager Mike Remar says, "We do sell a product. We have water treatment systems. Several different versions. We’ve got a few hundred thousand systems in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. As I said we've been doing it for 70 years. The fact that our name has Wolverine in it is a bit of a downside, but we’re proud of it and we’ll take good care of West Michigan."
The company does not sample or test for PFAS chemicals. There are only 12 companies that can do the specialized testing and none of them are in Michigan.
Bottom line, do your research before choosing a company to test your water or install a water filter. There are a lot of them out there. If you want to test for PFAS chemicals, keep in mind, you will need a qualified lab and it could cost up to $1,300 to do it right.
Cannon Township has a list of commonly asked questions on its website.
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