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Public Hearing on Tuesday Regarding Water Contamination In Kalamazoo County

Parchment, Michigan
Facebook/Parchment, Michigan

The state discovered high levels of contaminants known as PFAS in Parchment city water late last week. The state of Michigan has scheduled a hearing on Tuesday night.

Residents lined up to get cases of free bottled water in Parchment Monday.

Jeff Nagel lives in Cooper Township. He's on a private well, but is getting bottled water as a precaution.

He said he has a lot of questions for state and county officials.

"First on my list would be hey if they could test my well, see if it is bad or not," said Nagel "If not then I could drink it and I wouldn't have to keep coming here to get water every time."

Randy Johnson works in Parchment. He said he's received very little information about the water situation.

"Well my concern is what was in the water and how did it get there?" said Johnson. "And did they just now find it or has it been there?"

The compounds -- in a family of chemicals known as PFAS -- are commonly used in firefighting foam and nonstick cookware.

PFAS exposure has been linked to thyroid and kidney disease.

The state will hold a public meeting at Haven Reform Church in Kalamazoo Tuesday night to discuss the ongoing contamination. 

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