Georgia-Pacific begins investigation to find source of PFAS contamination in Parchment
Source: https://wwmt.com, November 12, 2018
Work begins Monday to figure out what caused high levels of PFAS in Parchment.
Georgia-Pacific, which has ties to the old Parchment Paper Mill, will start their investigation alongside the state to track down exactly what caused the water contamination in Parchment’s drinking water wells.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) will oversee Georgia-Pacific’s project in West Michigan. The joint investigation aims to figure out the complete extent of contamination as well as the sources of PFAS impacting private and public water supplies in Parchment and areas of Cooper Township.
Pulp and paper company, Georgia-Pacific, never owned or operated the paper mill but has ties to the owner. The mill is suspected as the source of the water contamination.
Georgia-Pacific will pay for the entire investigation, which will be monitored by the MDEQ. Their plans include:
- Installing monitoring wells to track any kind of contamination
- Collect and analyze groundwater samples from both private and public sources
- Create an extensive report analyzing the PFAS contamination
In the meantime, Georgia-Pacific and 3M face a class-action lawsuit from Parchment residents who blame them for the PFAS contamination.