Read the full article from staff reports (Sturgis Journal)
“White Pigeon Paper Company at 15781 River St. in White Pigeon will be listed on the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team’s website.
The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team on Wednesday updated officials from St. Joseph County and White Pigeon Township about investigation of perfluoroalkyl
and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination. This site will be added to the MPART web page because results of a groundwater monitoring exceeded the groundwater cleanup criteria.
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services worked with Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency to test 19 residential drinking water wells within White Pigeon Township ending in March of this year.
Three of these drinking water wells tested equal to or in excess of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s lifetime health advisory of 70 ppt for PFOA + PFOS.
The highest on-site perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) + perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) concentration detected in groundwater was 15,400 parts per trillion, which exceeds the groundwater criterion of 70 ppt for PFOA + PFOS. That is 220 times the safe limit.
Groundwater from 16 of the monitoring wells tested at White Pigeon Paper Company was found to contain PFAS at concentrations exceeding the groundwater criteria.
Bottled water has been distributed to those three houses until point-of-use filters can be installed. The filters also will be offered to any resident in the study area where PFAS has been detected in their well water at any concentration.
The village of White Pigeon municipal water supply was tested for PFAS on Sept. 26, 2018. Test results showed no PFAS in the water…”