Michigan’s million private wells face hidden pfas contamination crisis as state urges urgent testing

When Sandy Wynn-Stelt and her husband Joel sought refuge from their busy careers in 1992, they found what seemed like the perfect retreat in Kent County, Michigan. Their wooded home across from a Christmas tree farm represented an idyllic slice of rural Michigan life. What they didn’t know was that their private well water might harbor invisible contamination that would take decades to discover.

While Michigan has emerged as a leader in testing municipal water systems for PFAS—toxic “forever chemicals” linked to cancer and other serious health problems—the state now confronts a far more complex challenge. Over one million Michigan residents rely on private wells for their drinking water, and these individual water sources remain largely untested for PFAS contamination. Unlike city water systems with regular monitoring requirements, private well owners are responsible for testing their own water quality.

PFAS chemicals, used in everything from non-stick cookware to firefighting foam, persist in the environment and human body for decades. They can seep into groundwater from industrial sites, landfills, and areas where firefighting foam was used. The contamination often goes undetected because PFAS chemicals are colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Michigan health officials are now urgently encouraging private well owners to test their water, recognizing that rural residents may face the same contamination risks as urban areas—but with far less oversight and protection.

The state’s proactive approach to municipal water testing revealed widespread PFAS contamination, making Michigan a national model. Now, addressing the private well challenge could protect hundreds of thousands more residents from unknowing exposure to these dangerous chemicals.