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Company investigating potential contamination in north Alabama

A Confederate obelisk is seen in front of the DeKalb County Court House Tuesday, April 9, 2019 in Decatur, Georgia. The obelisk was erected in 1908 and refers to Confederate soldiers as ҡ covenant keeping race.Ӡ A Confederate obelisk is seen in front of the DeKalb County Court House Tuesday, April 9, 2019 in Decatur, Georgia. The obelisk was erected in 1908 and refers to Confederate soldiers as ҡ covenant keeping race.Ӡ

By Associated Press July 9, 2019 1 min read

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) – 3M says it is expanding an investigation of possible chemical contamination around its north Alabama plant in Decatur.

WAAY-TV reports the company issued a statement Monday saying it’s looking at old landfill sites in Morgan and Lawrence counties to test for waste that may include substances called PFAS. The landfills date back to the 1950s.

The company has operated a manufacturing plant in Decatur since 1961. Earlier this year it settled a lawsuit filed by a north Alabama water system over contamination by chemicals from the same family.

Federal rules prompted a brief scare in 2016 when the water system told customers not to drink the water because of chemical contamination.

Decatur’s water system says it knows about the 3M review, and it says its water remains safe to drink.