Morgan County in northern Alabama has about 123,000 residents, with Decatur as the largest city.
Morgan County in northern Alabama has about 123,000 residents, with Decatur as the largest city. The Tennessee River flows through the county, and Decatur Utilities draws from it to serve most of the population. The county's industrial base includes chemical manufacturing, aerospace contractors, and the 3M facility in Decatur that produced PFAS compounds for decades. That production history has made the Tennessee River corridor in Morgan County one of the most PFAS-contaminated waterways in the Southeast.
3M's Decatur facility manufactured PFOS and related compounds from the 1960s until 2002, discharging wastewater into the Tennessee River. According to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management's 2024 monitoring report, PFOS concentrations in the Tennessee River at Decatur remain among the highest documented in any U.S. drinking water source – surface water samples showed PFOS at 75 ppt and PFOA at 28 ppt during 2024 sampling.
Decatur Utilities has installed granular activated carbon treatment to reduce PFAS in finished water, but the source water burden is significant. A 2024 ADEM study also found elevated levels of PFAS in fish tissue from Wheeler Reservoir, with some species showing concentrations that triggered consumption advisories.
Morgan County's PFAS situation is among the most severe in the country due to the direct manufacturing source. Decatur Utilities' treatment upgrades have reduced finished water levels, but given the source water concentrations, household filtration adds meaningful protection.
Check your water for the latest monitoring results. Reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap is the strongest household defense against PFAS. Our water filter guide identifies systems with the highest certified PFAS removal rates. Pull your detailed report for trend data, and visit our Alabama page for statewide context.