Wolverine executives announced Wednesday, Nov. 15, that any home in the southeast expansion area whose water has any level of PFOA or PFOS would be eligible for a whole-house filtration system.
The global shoe company has been testing homeowners’ wells for the toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances called PFAS, previously used in Scotchguard to waterproof leather.
Waste from the Rockford tannery was dumped in sites across the Belmont area, and the cancer-causing chemicals area now showing up in drinking water.
Since Oct. 18 when the new southeast expansion area was drawn from Chandler Drive south to Rogue River Drive, and from Samrick Avenue east to the Rogue River, Wolverine has offered homeowners bottled water.
A "significant majority" of test results from homes in the new zone are below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s drinking water health advisory of 70 parts per trillion, the company said Wednesday in a news release.
"From the beginning, we have said that Wolverine is committed to doing the right thing and we want residents to have confidence in the safety of their water," said Chris Hufnagel, senior vice president of strategy for Wolverine, in a statement.
"We are glad that Wolverine has now agreed with us and we call on them to provide whole house filters to the other families affected by its waste disposal practices," Phelps said.
"Wolverine’s initial refusal to provide filters, and its ongoing refusal to offer blood testing to residents, is clearly not consistent with its stated corporate value of "do the right thing – always."
On Oct. 12 Wolverine offered 338 homes in one of the first study areas near House Street whole-house filters.
So far, 76 homes in the House Street area have had whole-house filters installed and about 30 more homes are on track to have filters installed by the end of the week, the company said Wednesday.