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State more than halfway done testing for PFAS in public and school water

Michigan students are back in class, but the state won't be done testing schools for PFAS contamination until the end of the year.

ROCKFORD, Mich. - As Michigan students head back to school, some will reach for the water fountain not yet knowing if the water that comes out is contaminated.

The Rockford Public School district is no stranger to testing for contaminated water.

“Last October I was notified there might be an issue with PFAS contamination at East Rockford Middle School,” said Mike Shibler, the Rockford Public Schools Superintendent.

No levels of the toxic PFAS chemical linked to the Wolverine Worldwide dump nearby were detected.

“At the same time I asked them, the DEQ, to test, we have three other buildings that have wells, and that would be Lakes Elementary, Crestwood Elementary and Cannonsburg Elementary," Shibler said. "All four test results came back essentially non-detect.”

Now the state is in the middle of more comprehensive PFAS testing.

“The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team is in the middle of a year-long testing program that will cover 1,380 pubic water systems and 461 schools that are on private wells throughout the state," said Scott Dean, a Michigan Department of Environmental Quality spokesman.

The testing program, announced in May, will be complete near the end of the year.

“We’re going through the entire state basically from a southwest to the northeast direction," Dean said. "To date we've got most of the southwest part of the state completed, we're moving up into the Saginaw Bay area now.”

Dean said the state has already covered a lot of ground.

“The area around Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, through up into Lansing and those parts have pretty much been completed at this point,” Dean said.

The schools so far are checking out.

“We have yet to find any schools with private wells that have tested above the EPA health advisory level of 70 parts per trillion for two particular compounds known as PFOS and PFOA,” Dean said.

Yet, some districts are still taking matters into their own hands.

“Even if they’ve had a result below 70, they've in some cases decided to supply alternative water to their faculty and student body,” Dean said.

Shibler emphasized the importance of being proactive with the PFAS issue.

“I do believe our units of government, from our townships to our city and beyond, and our state level, are reacting in a way to make sure they are doing the best job they possibly can at this time to make sure our drinking water is safe,” Shibler said. “But they need to continue that process, and it has to go on for years to come.”

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