Michigan is putting PFAS back in the spotlight.

September 21–25, 2026, marks Michigan’s first PFAS Awareness Week, a statewide effort to educate residents about PFAS — often called “forever chemicals” — and the ways these chemicals can affect water, soil, fish, wildlife, and communities.

The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) and its Citizens Advisory Workgroup are hosting events throughout the state, including educational presentations, community conversations, webinars, and research discussions.

For people living in Michigan, northern Indiana, and the Great Lakes region, this is an important conversation.

What Are PFAS?

PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a large family of human-made chemicals that have been used since the 1940s.

They have been used in products and applications designed to resist water, grease, oil, stains, and heat. PFAS have been associated with products such as firefighting foams, stain-resistant materials, certain food packaging, and other industrial and consumer products.

The problem is persistence.

Many PFAS compounds do not readily break down in the environment. That is why they are commonly called “forever chemicals.”

Michigan’s environmental agencies have found PFAS in groundwater, surface water, fish, wildlife, soil, and other environmental settings.

Michigan Has More Than an Awareness Problem

PFAS Awareness Week isn’t happening simply because PFAS are a trending environmental topic.

Michigan has been investigating PFAS contamination for years.

According to Michigan’s May 2026 proclamation, 340 sites had been identified where PFAS had contaminated groundwater and the source was known as of March 2026. More than 7,500 samples had also been collected from private or commercial drinking-water wells since 2018 as part of PFAS investigations.

A later Michigan environmental report stated that, as of July 2026, the state had identified 350 sites where groundwater exceeded criteria for one or more PFAS compounds.

Those numbers illustrate something important:

PFAS contamination isn’t limited to one community or one type of property.

Sources can include industrial facilities, landfills, airports, military facilities, firefighting activities, wastewater, and other locations.

Why Private Wells Deserve Special Attention

Michigan has more than one million residents who rely on private drinking-water wells.

Unlike public water systems, private well owners are generally responsible for testing their own water.

And PFAS presents a particular challenge because you can’t determine whether PFAS are present by looking at, smelling, or tasting the water.

Michigan EGLE specifically recommends private well testing when PFAS contamination may be a concern. The state also cautions that PFAS sampling requires special procedures because these chemicals can be present in many everyday materials and can contaminate a sample if proper procedures aren’t followed.

If you have a private well, testing is the first step.

Don’t assume your water is contaminated — but don’t assume it isn’t, either.

PFAS Isn’t Just a Drinking-Water Issue

One of the things that makes PFAS complicated is that exposure isn’t limited to drinking water.

Michigan is also monitoring PFAS in fish and surface water.

According to Michigan’s 2026 proclamation, more than 7,000 Michigan fish had been tested under the state’s PFAS monitoring efforts, and more than 90% had some level of PFAS detected in the edible portion.

That’s one reason Michigan encourages residents to consult its Eat Safe Fish Guide before eating locally caught fish.

The state also advises people to avoid foam found on lakes, rivers, and streams because some environmental foam can contain PFAS and other contaminants.

What Events Are Happening During PFAS Awareness Week?

Michigan’s first PFAS Awareness Week includes events across the state.

Among the scheduled events are:

• PFAS and You — an MPART webinar covering private well sampling and ways to reduce exposure.
• Michigan State University PFAS Research events covering PFAS basics, agriculture, contaminated farms, fish, wildlife, health impacts, and PFAS testing.
• A Community Conversation on PFAS in Traverse City.
• A PFAS update and community conversation in Rockford concerning contamination connected to the Wolverine sites.
• A PFAS symposium at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.
• Additional educational events in Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Allendale, Ypsilanti, East Lansing, and other communities.

This isn’t just a government campaign. Universities, watershed organizations, community groups, researchers, and residents are participating as well.

What Does Michigan’s PFAS Problem Mean for Indiana?

Michigan and Indiana don’t exist in separate water bubbles.

The Great Lakes region is an interconnected system of rivers, lakes, groundwater, watersheds, communities, agriculture, industry, and wildlife.

That doesn’t mean that PFAS contamination discovered in Michigan automatically means your Indiana drinking water is contaminated.

It does mean that PFAS is a regional water-quality issue worth paying attention to.

For Indiana residents, particularly those living near the Michigan border or relying on private wells, understanding your own water source is more useful than assuming that someone else’s water-quality report tells you what is coming from your faucet.

Start With Your Own Water

If you’re concerned about PFAS, there are several practical steps you can take.

1. Know where your water comes from

Are you on a municipal water system or a private well?

That distinction matters because testing responsibilities and available information can be very different.

2. Review your water-quality report

If you’re connected to a public water system, look for your utility’s Consumer Confidence Report and information about PFAS testing.

Remember that a water report tells you about the water tested by the utility at particular points in time. It doesn’t necessarily tell you everything about the water coming from your individual household plumbing.

3. Consider testing if you have a private well

If you have concerns about PFAS or live near a known contamination source, consider testing your well through a qualified laboratory.

Use proper PFAS sampling procedures. Ordinary water sampling methods aren’t necessarily appropriate for PFAS testing.

4. If you use a filter, check what it is actually certified to reduce

This is an important point.

A filter that improves taste or removes chlorine isn’t necessarily a filter designed to reduce PFAS.

Look for independent third-party certification and a specific PFAS reduction claim rather than relying solely on general statements such as “advanced filtration.”

Multipure, for example, states that specific systems are NSF-certified for reducing PFOA and PFOS. Certification varies by model, so consumers should check the certification and contaminant-reduction claims for the particular system they are considering.

Why Certification Matters

When you’re shopping for a water filter, marketing claims can become confusing quickly.

“Carbon filter,” “purifier,” “multi-stage,” and “advanced filtration” don’t automatically tell you what contaminants a system has been independently tested to reduce.

For PFAS, look for a system that specifically identifies the PFAS compounds it is certified to reduce.

Multipure currently lists PFOA/PFOS reduction for its Aqualuxe, Aquapremier, and Aquaperform systems and identifies the applicable NSF standards on its product information.

That distinction matters.

You aren’t just buying a filter. You’re choosing a filtration technology for a specific water-quality concern.

What About Bottled Water?

Bottled water isn’t automatically a PFAS-free alternative.

PFAS can enter water from environmental sources, and the presence or absence of PFAS depends on the source water and treatment process.

For many households, a certified home filtration system can provide an additional way to reduce specific contaminants while also reducing dependence on single-use plastic bottles.

The important thing is to look at the actual filtration and certification claims, not simply whether the water comes from a bottle or a faucet.

Michigan’s PFAS Conversation Is Worth Paying Attention To

PFAS contamination didn’t appear overnight, and it won’t disappear overnight.

Michigan’s first PFAS Awareness Week is an opportunity to learn more about where these chemicals come from, how they move through the environment, how they affect drinking-water sources, and what residents can do to make informed decisions.

The biggest takeaway isn’t to panic.

It’s to know your water.

Find out where it comes from. Review available testing information. Test your private well when appropriate. Pay attention to local contamination investigations. And if you choose a home water filter, make sure it is certified for the contaminants you’re actually concerned about.

Water quality is local.

Your best first step is understanding what’s in yours.

Want to Learn More About PFAS and Home Water Filtration?

At Indiana Water Filters, I help homeowners understand their water-filtration options and find systems designed to address specific water-quality concerns.

If PFAS is one of your concerns, don’t simply buy the first filter that says it is “advanced.”

Look for verified contaminant-reduction claims and the appropriate third-party certification.

If you’re interested in learning whether a Multipure system may be appropriate for your home’s drinking and cooking water, you can explore the available systems here:

Explore Multipure Drinking Water Systems

You can also contact Indiana Water Filters if you’d like help understanding your options.

Clean water starts with knowing what’s in your water.