PARCHMENT, MI -- As work continues to flush Parchment's contaminated water system, authorities say some PFAS-laden water is going into the Kalamazoo River.

James Baker, head of the Kalamazoo Public Services Department, said some release is all but unavoidable.

"One hundred percent of the (contaminated) water is not going to be going to the Kalamazoo waste-water treatment plant," Baker said late Friday, July 27.

"We have to weigh and measure the risks against the public health," he said.

The release of water into the environment Friday was most obvious at a fire hydrant near North 20th Street and Travis Road in southeastern Cooper Township. Water spewed from a valve attached to the hydrant and into a nearby creek, which flows into the Kalamazoo River about 2,000 feet to the west.

Just south of the intersection is the entrance to a city of Parchment-owned property with its municipal water system's three groundwater wells, now being tested for potential PFAS contamination.

Baker said water coming from the valve, which he described as a pop-off valve, is likely a mixture of Parchment's contaminated water and clean water from the Kalamazoo water system used to flush out PFAS contamination in Parchment's system.

Workers started flushing the water system Thursday, July 27.

Residents on the Parchment system have been told to use bottled water for drinking and food-preparation purposes.

The drinking water advisory was issued Thursday after water tests revealed levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the city's water supply at more than 20 times the health advisory level set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The compounds, known collectively as PFAS, are an emerging public health threat contaminating water supplies across the Michigan. More than 20 communities across the state have identified contamination sites. That list is expected to grow.

The chemicals are known to increase risk of cancer, kidney disease, thyroid conditions and auto-immune disorders. Experts agree pregnant women, women considering becoming pregnant and young children are the most vulnerable. The chemicals also can increase cholesterol and interfere with the body's natural hormones.

Local government leaders, health supervisors and Kalamazoo County's sheriff called an emergency press conference Thursday evening to announce the problem and the availability of free bottled water for the estimated 3,000 residents affected.

High levels of PFAS found in the city of Parchment drinking water 74 Gallery: High levels of PFAS found in the city of Parchment drinking water

While officials await the results of additional tests conducted on the three groundwater wells that supply Parchment's drinking water system, they announced the system would be flushed to rid of it of any lingering PFAS contamination.

Baker said that flushing the Parchment system means pumping clean water into the Parchment water tower and flushing it through the pipes and out hydrants during the overnight hours.

The plan, he said, is to connect hoses to the hydrants and direct the water -- 200,000 gallons by early Saturday morning -- into sanitary sewers so it can be treated at Kalamazoo's wastewater treatment plant.

The city of Parchment has a separate drinking water supply system from Kalamazoo, but the neighboring cities share a common sewer system.

The two "pop-off" valves designed to control the pressure in the water tower cannot be connected to hoses and directed into sewer drains. The valves go off periodically, Baker said, and are sending water into the Kalamazoo River.

Residents nearby reported seeing water flowing from the hydrants into the creek along 20th Street on Friday morning. Just before 11 p.m. Friday, water still flowed steadily from the pop-off valve attached to the hydrant and down a grassy bank to the stream below.

Baker said trying to capture that water for treatment using a hose could alter the pressure in the tank and pose a risk.

"We're not going to collapse Parchment's tower to save a little contaminated water from getting in the ground," Baker said.

Baker estimated that something less than 50,000 gallons of contaminated water has gone into creeks and the Kalamazoo River since Thursday night, in part because work crews didn't direct all water into sanitary sewers during the first flushing.

"It's a small amount compared to the grand scheme of things," he said.

Baker said the flushed water would be diluted significantly in the Kalamazoo River with likely little health risk.

"We're embarking on a plan to get the drinking water cleaned up as fast as possible. Our goal here is to protect public health," he said.

Test results from the city of Parchment's groundwater wells are expected Monday, July 30, due to a decision to expedite the testing, according to DEQ officials.

Private wells within a one-mile radius of the city of Parchment's groundwater aquifers are now also being tested, officials announced Friday, to determine if residents who aren't hooked up to the municipal water system are also at risk of contamination. It's unclear when those test results might be received.

Distribution of free bottled water for affected residents was offered from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Parchment High School, 1916 East G Ave. in Parchment. Officials said Friday they expected to continue distributing bottled water into the weekend.

For more information, residents are directed by local officials to call a drinking water hotline set up at (269) 373-5346. Those unable to get to the bottled water distribution point are also encouraged to call the hotline.

The following map shows, outlined in blue, the extent of the city of Parchment's water system, which reaches into a small portion of southern Cooper Township. The area outlined in green is Parchment's city boundaries.