Georgia Officials Knew Carpet Mill Chemicals Contaminated Water, Residents Were Unaware
State testing found PFAS in northwest Georgia water for years before officials posted the data or warned residents, according to the investigation.
- In northwest Georgia, residents like Stormy Bost face persistent health risks from PFAS contamination linked to the region's carpet industry, which used the chemicals for decades in popular brands like Stainmaster and Scotchgard.
- Georgia's Environmental Protection Division deflected EPA efforts to track PFAS for years, failing to issue fish advisories or drinking water warnings even as testing confirmed extensive contamination south of Dalton.
- Dalton Utilities' 9,600-acre land application system at Loopers Bend sprays treated wastewater on soil, continuing to pollute the Conasauga River; when EPA issued stricter guidelines in 2022, Calhoun's water supply was several times above the new limit.
- Following legal pressure, Calhoun settled a case in 2024, agreeing to filter its water and test private wells, while other municipalities including Rome have filed lawsuits against 3M and DuPont to fund filtration systems.
- Grassroots outrage has intensified as residents protest legislation intended to shield carpet companies from liability, while Wisconsin and Michigan have committed millions to PFAS cleanup, contrasting with Georgia's limited regulatory approach.
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'There's a lot of us, and we're sick': Georgia residents say officials hid severe chemical contamination from them
Families in Northwest Georgia spent years drinking, cooking, and making sweet tea with tap water they said was quietly contaminated by toxic "forever chemicals," The Associated Press reported. Residents accuse state officials of failing to warn them as PFAS pollution spread through rivers, drinking water, and even their bodies. PFAS are a large group of chemicals that have been linked in research to health problems, including thyroid disease, li…
Georgia officials knew chemicals from carpet mills were polluting local water. The people did not.
Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division did little to confront the problem, issuing neither fish advisories nor do-not-drink orders to the public even as concerns grew among scientists.
Associated Press News
Georgia officials knew chemicals from carpet mills were polluting local water. The people did not
State officials knew nearly two decades ago that toxic chemicals called PFAS were spreading from the carpet mills of northwest Georgia into rivers that are the region's main source of drinking water.
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