ROCKFORD, Mich. (WOOD) — Rockford Public Schools is shutting down drinking water fountains in one of its schools in light of recent tests revealing a toxic chemical in nearby wells.
In a letter sent to parents Thursday morning, Superintendent Michael Shibler said the district was disabling all drinking fountains in East Rockford Middle School “out of an abundance of caution.” Shibler said Wolverine Worldwide will be providing bottled water to students starting Thursday morning.
Shibler said the bottled water will also be used for cooking inside the school building until the district knows the status of its well water.
The dump site is separate from Wolverine Worldwide’s old House Street NE dump, where the company discarded sludge from its Rockford tannery until about 1970.
The Kent County Health Department is conducting its largest ever cancer cluster study around the House Street site and two other possible Wolverine dumps in the Rockford area.
It appears the contamination from the House Street dump is spreading to where the Rogue River flows into the Grand River.
He said he will notify parents as soon as the expedited test results are available, likely within two weeks.