The City of Battle Creek is pleased to share that state testing results for PFAS in the municipal water system have returned as non-detect.
Water from the Verona Pumping Station, which distributes drinking water to city neighbors and customers, was sampled for testing on July 25. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality returned the results on Thursday.
The MDEQ has begun a statewide initiative to test drinking water from community water supplies, and schools that use well water. The test is looking for a group of manmade chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – PFAS. MDEQ is taking this precautionary step to determine if public health actions are needed.
It is not uncommon to find low levels of PFAS in drinking water supplies, as they are found in firefighting foam, stain repellants, nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, food wrappers, and many other household products. They do not break down in the environment and move easily into water.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set a lifetime health advisory of 70 parts per trillion for two of these chemicals in drinking water – perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). The EPA has not set health advisory levels for other PFAS compounds, and the state is using 70 ppt in its decision-making.
AECOM, the contractor for the MDEQ, collected the samples from the Verona water treatment facility; Vista Analytical Laboratory in El Dorado Hills, Calif. Tested the samples. The results show that the tested PFOA and PFOS levels all were non-detect, or not found at any level in the city’s drinking water.
The testing results report, and letter to the city from the MDEQ are available on the city’s website. Visit the home page, battlecreekmi.gov, and scroll to City Spotlight. Also navigate to these documents from the Your Government tab; Departments; Public Works; Water & Wastewater.
More information on the state response to PFAS is online at Michigan.gov/pfasresponse.