“RICHLAND, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is pledging to help Richland homeowners pay for filtration systems after several water wells test positive for unsafe levels of perfluoroalkyl (PFAS) and polyfluoroalkyl (PFOS).
DEQ spokesperson Scott Dean said the state will, ‘make sure homeowners are taken care of.’ This comes after four wells in Richland tested positive for PFAS contamination.
‘We take it very seriously,’ Dean said. ‘If we find any PFAS detection, we think that’s too much.’
The state is currently testing 22 additional wells in response to the positive tests. Dean said alternative water sources will be provided while families wait for results.
Rachael Luscomb grew up in Richland and raises her family in the township. She, like many other homeowners, is worried about the impact any contaminated wells can have on her children.
‘I’m in the testing area currently and I have not heard word back if my well has tested positive,’ Luscomb said. ‘We have been using filtered water, bottled water, so my recycling bin’s getting real full, real quick.’
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency describes PFAS as man-made chemicals used in a variety of industries. They are no longer manufactured in the U.S., according to the agency’s website.
The source of the contamination is the now defunct Production Plated Plastics Company. The business shut down in 1989…
Dean said the state is installing an upgraded treatment system at the former production plant. He wouldn’t give an exact cost for the fix, instead saying the state is paying ‘hundreds of thousands’ of dollars for the new system.
As for homeowners with contaminated wells, Dean said the state will help pay for any new filtration systems. He did not say how much of the cost will be covered by the state, but said alternative sources of water will be provided to homeowners.”
Read the full article by Jorge Rodas