Tests Find Chemical Contamination in Michigan School's Water
ORLEANS TOWNSHIP (AP) — Tests discovered elevated levels of chemical contamination in drinking water for a Michigan preschool that's closed to children for the summer.
The EightCAP Orleans Head Start center in Ionia County's Orleans Township announced Monday that man-made chemicals called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances were found at a well. Bottled water will be provided at the facility about 115 miles (185 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.
EightCap's President Dan Peterson says the school is on summer recess. During the school year it's used by students ages 3 to 5 and staff members. A charter elementary school, Threshold Academy, with about 150 students formerly used the building.
The contamination was discovered by the state, which is testing public water supplies and schools on well water. The substances, among chemicals referred to broadly as PFAS, are used in manufacturing, firefighting and household and consumer products.
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