Updated, February 25, 2019 The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has released results of a 2018 state-wide sampling of public, school and tribal water supplies for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
Of 1,114 public water systems, 119 have been found to contain some level of PFAS.
The study cost $1.7 million.
According to the DEQ press release, only the city of Parchment and Robinson Elementary School near Grand Haven returned levels "exceeding the […] 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) individually or combined in drinking water."
In August of 2018, the city of Parchment was connected to Kalamazoo’s municipal water system.
This map shows locations where PFAS has been detected in public water supplies.
Full testing data, including for schools, daycares and Head Start programs, can be found on the state’s PFAS response website.
Original post, Oct. 4, 2018: This spring, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality set out to test 1,300 public water systems for PFAS.
Only twice has it tested over the action level of 70 parts per trillion — once at astronomical levels in the City of Parchment, where a State of Emergency was declared before water quality could be restored — and once at 72 parts per trillion in *one* of the City of Kalamazoo’s pumping stations (this was deemed to not be cause for concern, and also, this was total PFAS, whereas the action level only applies to PFOA and PFOS).
The state is projected to finish this testing in November, and Michigan Radio will update the map as test results continue to be released.

Elevated levels of lead have been found in drinking water in Belton, prompting South Carolina’s public health regulators to require officials to take immediate corrective action.
The basics of Belton’s water problem Elevated levels of lead were found in five of 20 water samples taken between June 2018 and September 2018 in Belton, which buys its water from the Belton-Honea Path Water Authority.
Belton officials say the high lead levels are coming from older homes with lead pipes.
Belton does not further treat the water it receives from the Belton-Honea Path Water Authority, City Manager Alan Sims said.
Before elevated levels of lead were discovered last year, Belton’s water had typically been tested for lead every three years, Sims said.
The long-term fix for Belton’s water The Belton-Honea Path Water Authority is planning to use a phosphate-based additive called orthophosphate in its treatment processes to try to reduce the elevated levels of lead.
Elevated levels of lead are not coming from the treatment plant or the treated water itself but from old pipes found in older homes, according to the water authority.
Orthophosphate has never been used in the Belton-Honea Path Water Authority’s treatment processes because there has never been a problem before now, Ellenburg said.
Do not cook with or drink water from the hot water tap.
For more information on reducing lead exposure from water and the health effects of lead, visit EPA’s website at www.epa.gov/lead, call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791, or contact your health care provider.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court will take up a series of legal disputes that could have far-reaching implications for state regulators’ power to protect public waters from pollution and overuse.
A state appeals court panel asked the high court Wednesday to settle 10 lawsuits over natural resources, which have been consolidated into two cases, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
The high court’s rulings will determine the balance of power between lawmakers and state regulators.
The cases stem from conservationists wanting to preserve the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ authority to protect public water rights and enforce clean water standards.
But business groups are pushing to keep power in the hands of elected politicians who can be held accountable if the state goes too far and harms profits.
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#ReadLocal One of the cases that the Supreme Court will review challenges the DNR’s decision to allow a dairy farm to expand a feedlot in Kewaunee County, an area with manure-contaminated drinking water.
Another group of lawsuits objects to the agency approving permits for farms to make large-scale withdrawals of groundwater.
Parts of the state have seen drinking water become contaminated by farm runoff, or lakes and streams dry up from nearby farmers pumping from groundwater.
Agricultural runoff of manure and fertilizer into public waters also can lead to unnatural growths of weeds and bacteria that can close beaches and harm fish.

Even before the war, few households had access to running water.
George, Moradeke, Luciana… Like them, they are a legion of unknown heroes who face the reality of migration every day.
We never think of them, but public service workers are at the frontlines providing basic services to migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.
They are the ones who deal, not only with water, sanitation, healthcare, housing, education, and administrative support, but also provide services that are critical in emergency response, disasters, displacement, and reconstruction.
About 258 million people – one in every 30 – were living outside their countries of birth in 2017.
Because of them, the level of public schooling will drop.
Moreover, some private companies are now exploiting what is presented as a migrants’ crisis for profit.
Needs that should be met by public services are delegated to private companies.
As George, Moradeke, Luciana and many others show every day, public service workers and their unions are uniquely placed to facilitate the addressing of global forced displacements happening in our century.
Geneviève Gencianos is the migration programme coordinator at Public Services International.

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) has launched its own podcast, “H2O In The Know,” as a new way to connect with consumers and ensure they have access to key bottled water facts.
In each episode, the “H2O In The Know” host interviews experts in the bottled water and related industries to discuss a variety of water topics, covering everything from the current science on hydration, how to increase recycling rates, bottled water regulations, health, taste, and more.
“H2O In The Know offers consumers a great new way to learn interesting facts and stories about water, especially bottled water,” says IBWA Vice President of Communications Jill Culora.
“Podcasts have been a growing medium in recent years, and it’s an effective way to connect with people, especially with younger audiences.” The new podcast adds to IBWA’s diverse collection of communication tools used to provide the public with the facts about the bottled water industry.
IBWA has a robust social media presence (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest), an award-winning industry magazine, and a YouTube channel, which has more than 700,000 views.
H2O In The Know is currently available on iTunes and SoundCloud.
The mission for the show is to share bottled water facts and educate the listening public about all things water, especially bottled water.
For example, during the first episode, “Bottled Water 101,” IBWA answers many of the common questions about bottled water.
The discussion covers bottled water regulations, types of bottled water on the market, differences between bottled water and tap water standards, and packaging options.
Listen to, subscribe, and rate “H2O In the Know” on iTunes and SoundCloud now.

Nitrate is a common pollutant in Eau Claire County and can enter our water through leaky septic systems or runoff from lawns or farm fields.
Across Wisconsin, about 1 in 5 wells in farmed areas may be over the safe level of nitrate in water.
In Eau Claire County, this means up to 1,800 private wells may have unsafe drinking water.
“Yearly well checkups can identify pollution that can make us sick.” How do high levels of nitrate make us sick?
Nitrate levels above 10 parts per million are most harmful for pregnant women and infants.
Boiling water does not remove nitrate.
Nitrate levels above 2 parts per million may mean there are other pollutants in our water that can make us sick, such as bacteria, prescription drugs, or other chemicals used on lawns or fields.
We recommend an annual nitrate and bacteria test.
• Schedule an annual inspection by a local well driller or plumber to check the physical health of your well.
If your drinking water is unsafe: If your well has unsafe levels of nitrate, bacteria, or other pollutants, the Health Department can recommend more tests or treatment options that can improve the safety of your water.

Two hazardous chemicals, PFOS and PFOA, were commonly found in firefighting foams used at airports and military bases, before they were phased out between 2000 and 2006.
Chemicals used in coatings for products such as nonstick pans and stain repellent have become a lurking threat to drinking water supplies nationwide, prompting a call to better test for their presence in New York.
A group of county leaders, health officials and environmental directors, in a letter last week, asked the state health department and federal Environmental Protection Agency to require water testing for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
“It’s a contaminant that is existing in the environment, so we need a better way to identify the chemical and get rid of it,” Mr. Acquario said.
Brad J. Hutton, the deputy commissioner of the New York State Public Health Office, said the state advises that more than 2 parts per trillion is potentially dangerous and should be monitored by state or local governments.
The state also established a Drinking Water Task Force, which the letter is addressed to, essential to helping with cleaning up contamination and installing carbon-activated filters in water systems where PFOA or PFOS is found as a first step, Mr. Acquario said.
Through the task force, the state randomly selected several public water suppliers to begin testing for the PFOA and PFOS in their drinking water.
Public suppliers are required to test for nearly 100 contaminants, but more than 80,000 potential chemicals exist.
Mr. Acquario said if there is a serious contamination issue requiring a new municipal treatment system to be put in place, the cost is between $25 million and $35 million, with an additional $500,000 in labor costs.
The companies allegedly designed, manufactured, marketed and sold foams used for fire fighting and fire fighting training at Stewart Air National Guard Base, Stewart International Airport, Francis S. Gabreski Airport, former Plattsburgh Air Force Base and former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome.

Staff and students at Warren Elementary School are drinking bottled water this week while state and school district officials sort out several tests which showed conflicting results as to the levels of the chemical family PFAS that were found in the school’s well last month.
The bottled water is a short-term measure while a longer-term filtration system is put together.
School district officials and school Principal Beth Peterson are hosting a public meeting led by Kimberly Caldwell, environmental analyst with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and some others from the state to discuss the water on Tuesday, September 4, at 6 p.m. in the Warren Elementary School cafeteria.
Warren Elementary School and nine others in the state were selected for a pilot program run by the Vermont DEC.
The first test of the Warren Elementary School water showed results as high as 36.6 parts per trillion.
PFAS refers to a large group of compounds used in a variety of industrial processes and found in numerous consumer products including floor cleaners and waxes, nonstick products, cooking utensils and pans, food packaging and stain repellent fabrics.
PFAS can cause harmful effects on the immune system and, in serious cases, various forms of cancer.
Brigid Nease, superintendent of the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD), reported to district parents last week that Warren students would start the week with bottled water.
During that conservation Caldwell reports that the third test is valid and that the state is moving forward with a carbon filtration system in the near term with contractors working on a longer-term solution that needs to be approved by the DEC’s drinking water division.
Caldwell said testing of the water before and after the carbon filtration and permanent solution will continue.

That was before testing showed it had some of the highest levels of the toxic compounds of any public water system in the U.S. "You all made me out to be a liar," Hagey, general water and sewer manager in the eastern Pennsylvania town of Warminster, told Environmental Protection Agency officials last month.
At "community engagement sessions" like the one in Horsham, residents and state, local and military officials are demanding that the EPA act quickly—and decisively—to clean up local water systems testing positive for dangerous levels of the chemicals, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
EPA testing from 2013 to 2015 found significant amounts of PFAS in public water supplies in 33 U.S. states.
So did scientific studies that firmed up the health risks.
Earlier this year, federal toxicologists decided that even the EPA’s 2016 advisory levels for the two phased-out versions of the compound were several times too high for safety.
Even as the Trump administration says it advocates for clean air and water, it is ceding more regulation to the states and putting a hold on some regulations seen as burdensome to business.
In Horsham and surrounding towns in eastern Pennsylvania, and at other sites around the United States, the foams once used routinely in firefighting training at military bases contained PFAS.
The chemical industry says it believes the versions of the nonstick, stain-resistant compounds in use now are safe, in part because they don’t stay in the body as long as older versions.
"If the risk appears to be high, and you’ve got it every place, then you’ve got a different level" of danger and urgency, Clough said.
"That’s not what you want to do when you’re protecting the public health."

Bhopal: To cater to the water requirement in the areas which were sans pipelines, the municipal body had dug up several public bore wells, however, to no one’s surprise, many of these have fallen into private hands.
Unable to apprehend the severity of water shortage in summers, the civic authorities had severed several connections of the bore wells believing that Narmada water supply would meet the requirement.
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Squarespace With no BMC men to operate these public boding, some private players have come into scene enforcing their control over these public water sources.
Residents of Mangalwara said that a few influential persons have taken control over the public borings and were operating it as per sweet will without taking into consideration the requirement of other people.
Besides, the civic body even severed connection of most of these borings after water supply pipelines were laid in the area.
Leader of opposition in the BMC, Mohammad Sageer also admitted that public borings were being operated by local influential persons.
Had the municipal administration endured that these government borings remained under its hand, water shortage situation in the city would not have become so grim, he added.
Former mayor Vibha Patel questioned the municipal authorities’ decision to discontent connection of the borings at a time when the city is reeling under water shortage.
Expressing ignorance over the complaints of borings being managed by private persons, Wadika said that he will visit the areas to check the matter.