KALAMAZOO — This past weekend, the Department of Environmental Quality announced that it has found high levels of PFAS in wells in the Kalamazoo County, shortly after it was revealed the former MiDEQ director knew of PFAS issues six years ago and failed to act. In response, state Rep. Jon Hoadley (D-Kalamazoo), a co-sponsor of House Bill 5375 to tighten PFAS standards in the state, issued the following statement:
“The safety of our drinking water should never be in question; in no place is that more true than in the state we call Pure Michigan. Yet families in the Kalamazoo County now have the unfortunate distinction of joining the growing list of others across the state who cannot trust their drinking water. For too long Republicans in the Legislature have taken the safety of our water for granted – allowing companies to come into our communities and pollute our water as though it is merely the cost of doing business, and leaving lead to seep into our water systems through neglected pipes. State officials need to do more than just acknowledge the problem and pat themselves on the back for passing out bottled water. After more than six years of inaction from this administration, families need us to act and treat this with the seriousness that it demands.”