Read the full article by WAFF 48 Digital Staff (WAFF 48)
“DECATUR, Ala. (WAFF) – The quality of the drinking water in Decatur is up for debate. Results from a nationwide test found the city’s tapwater contains chemicals you should know about.
An independent environmental group has released a new study that tested 44 cities in the country with PFAS chemicals, and Decatur ranked in at number 10.
However, Decatur Utilities maintains that the drinking water is safe.
The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit organization that independently tests drinking water in cities across the country. Last year, they collected samples from 44 cities. The goal was to monitor levels of PFAS and an additional compound known as PFOA. The second chemical is a former ingredient in Scotchgard, which was manufactured by 3M.
On Wednesday, the Environmental Working Group released its findings.
Tapwater from Decatur had the 10th highest levels of PFOA found in the study at 24 parts per trillion. While that’s well under the EPA limit of 70 parts per trillion, the Environmental Working Group endorses a recommended level of 1 part per trillion.
Decatur Utilities spokesman Joe Holmes says recent tests have resulted in much lower numbers. He says ‘Tests for these chemicals (PFOS and PFOA) in our water supply have been non-detect, or at near non-detectable levels. The highest value in any recent test was less than 5 parts per trillion combined level for both chemicals, which is near the minimum detection levels…'”