State Of Michigan Agrees To Parchment Disaster Designation
Less than 24 hours after Kalamazoo County formally declared a state of emergency following the discovery of PFAS in the City of Parchment's drinking water system, the State of Michigan has agreed to the designation. This morning Lt. Gov. Brian Calley declared a state of disaster for Kalamazoo County due to the ongoing health and safety concerns of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl contamination in the drinking water for the City of Parchment and Cooper Township. By declaring a disaster, Calley has made available all state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery operations.
Water Distribution
The distribution of water will continue next week with new pick-up times. Starting Monday, July 30, water distribution will be from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Parchment High School. Residents will be asked to verify their address when they pick-up their water supply.
City of Kalamazoo: Public Works
The City of Kalamazoo continues to work with the City of Parchment to flush Parchment’s water line. Flushing continued Saturday night, and operations will begin again Sunday, with staff working through the night. Kalamazoo Township has provided a fire truck to assist in the flushing. Both the City of Kalamazoo and Kalamazoo Township are using back-up, reserved fire engines to flush the water. Front-line fire department equipment and resources are not being diverted from either municipality to assist with flushing Parchment's water supply system.
As a reminder, controls are in place to prevent Parchment water from flowing into the City of Kalamazoo’s water system. The flushing plan developed by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, City of Kalamazoo and City of Parchment is being followed.
PFAS Factsheet for Parchment Water Response
Michigan Department of Health & Human Services in collaboration with Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Department developed a PFAS Fact sheet. Residents can learn more about PFAS and the health effects. The Fact sheet can be viewed just below.
Town Hall Scheduled
A Town Hall meeting will take place at Haven Reformed Church (5350 N Sprinkle Rd, Kalamazoo, MI 49004) on Tuesday, July 31. The open house is from 5:00-6:00 p.m. and the program is from 6:00-8:30 p.m. Residents living in the city of Parchment and Cooper Township residents with homes supplied by the Parchment water supply are encouraged to attend. An update on the status of the water response activities will be provided, and residents will have the opportunity to receive more information regarding Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), health impacts and plans for interim and long-term water supply solutions
Parchment Water Hotline (269-373-5346)
The Parchment Water Hotline is still operational for residents to call with questions or concerns. Staff from the Health & Community Services Department are on the phones from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.