City of Parchment and Cooper Township Residents Advised to Immediately Stop Using Water

Lyndi Warner, Public Information Office
PIO@KalCounty.com
806-252-0010

The Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Department in unison with the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, the City of Parchment, and Cooper Township is advising any resident on the City of Parchment’s water supply system to immediately stop using their water for drinking, cooking, making baby formula and food, or rinsing fruits and vegetables. High amounts of the chemical PFAS have been found in the water supply of City of Parchment.

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), are part of a group of chemicals used globally during the past century in manufacturing, firefighting and thousands of common household and other consumer products.

Boiling water will not remove PFAS. Common residential filters does not treat PFAS. Swallowing PFAS is the primary way it can get into your body. Touching the water is not considered a health concern as PFAS does not move easily through skin. You can bathe, do your dishes, launder your clothes and clean with water that has PFAS in it. It is advised that farm animals and pets do not drink the water.

Bottled water will be provided to you starting Friday, July 27, at Parchment High School (1916 E. G Ave.) at 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

We ask for residents on the City of Parchment’s water supply, which includes Cooper Township, to help spread this message to your neighbors.

A short-term solution is being activated within the next 24-48 hours:

1. The City of Parchment’s water supply system is being drained.
2. Once it is drained, the City of Kalamazoo will connect residents on the City of Parchment’s water supply to the City of Kalamazoo’s water supply system. Residents will be notified once this occurs.
3. The City of Kalamazoo will begin flushing the City of Parchment’s water supply system.
4. The City of Kalamazoo will continue flushing out the City of Parchment’s water supply system until test results come back that shows the PFAS levels are below the health advisory level. We do not know how long this process will take, but residents will not be connected back to the City of Parchment’s water supply until it is approved.

For more information, call 269-567-7595 or 269-567-2517. Resident can learn more about PFAS, please visit the website of Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART): www.michigan.gov/pfasresponse/.