A complete list of all programs within the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
Community involvement and public participation are an essential part of EGLE’s mission, vision, and values.
Resources and information on utilizing RRD's data exchange and the Inventory of Facilities.
An interactive map displaying contaminated sites throughout Michigan regulated under Parts 213, 201, and 211.
EGLE's interactive calendar is designed to provide timely information on decisions before the Director, proposed settlements of contested cases, administrative rules promulgation, public hearings, meetings and comment deadlines, and environmental conferences, workshops and training programs.
The Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides all persons (except persons incarcerated in correctional facilities) with access to public records of public bodies. Requests to inspect or receive public records from EGLE must be in writing and describe the requested records with enough detail to enable the department to identify and locate the requested records. Some records are exempt from disclosure under the FOIA or another statute and thus will not be provided. A fee may be charged to process your request. Please note that many records are available that do not require a formal FOIA request.
Search is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
Tianna Kilgore
EGLE Environmental Engineer
KilgoreT@Michigan.gov
517-230-4395
Todd Zynda
EGLE Hazardous Waste Inspector
ZyndaT@Michigan.gov
586-206-1640
Jon Lamb
EGLE Air Quality Division, Senior Environmental Quality Analyst
LambJ1@Michigan.gov
313-348-2527
US Ecology Detroit South (USE-DS) is a hazardous waste storage and treatment site located at 1923 Frederick Street, in Detroit, Michigan (Site). The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) previously licensed the Site for the management of hazardous wastes in 2003, under the operation and ownership of US Liquids, Inc. In 2004, The Environmental Quality Company (EQ) purchased the Site from US Liquids, and US Ecology subsequently acquired EQ in 2014. Following the 2022 takeover, US Ecology and the Site are now under the operation and ownership control of Republic Services.
The Site's hazardous waste operating license issued by EGLE specifies the hazardous waste activities that USE-DS can perform at the Site. The federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended, and the corresponding Michigan hazardous waste regulations specify how the Site must operate to protect human health and the environment. They also identify the authorities that EGLE's Materials Management Division (MMD), has in licensing and overseeing the Site's hazardous waste operations.
Laws and Rules that Apply to Handling Hazardous Waste
How this Site is Regulated Under the Environmental Regulations
License and Renewal Information
On July 15, 2024, EGLE and US Ecology entered a Consent Order to resolve violations of state and federal waste regulations. The Consent Order requires US Ecology to pay an upfront penalty of $34,225, an additional $24,307 reimbursement to the state for enforcement costs, and to fund a $927,423 escrow account that will be used to develop supplemental environmental projects to benefit the local community surrounding the facility. The Consent Order also required the facility to repair the Chem-Fix vaults, of which only Vaults 702, 703, and 704 are completed and ready to resume operations. Engineering drawings and specifications surrounding the repairs will be incorporated into the ongoing Hazardous Waste Facility Operating License Renewal Application. Additionally, US Ecology must implement improved waste acceptance and screening procedures, develop a regular groundwater monitoring program, and complete a feasibility study for further air emissions controls as part of the Consent Order settlement.
On August 14, 2023, US Ecology was issued an Enforcement Notice (EN) for violations dating back to April 2020, including the 2022 fire in Vault 703 and the 2023 Chem-Fix shutdown due to structural damage to the waste treatment vaults. In order to resolve the Violation Notices (VN) identified in the EN, US Ecology and EGLE entered into the Consent Order.
Available using the links below are the EN, which includes all the cited VNs as attachments, and the Consent Order.
In order to determine which constituents will need to be tested for as part of the groundwater monitoring program, US Ecology has submitted a Hydrogeological Evaluation Report (Hydro Report) and Expanded Hydrogeological Evaluation Report (Expanded Report) that summarizes the groundwater conditions are the site based on recent investigations. The MMD’s response to the Expanded Report will be released shortly, which identifies concerns from the report including PFAS and additional monitoring and delineation of detected exceedances of applicable criteria. The Hydro Report and Expanded Report are available using the links below.
To be placed on the official USE-DS facility mailing list to receive notifications from both EGLE and USE-DS, please send a written request to Tianna Kilgore, Environmental Engineer, at KilgoreT@Michigan.gov; or EGLE, MMD, P.O. Box 30241, Lansing, Michigan 48909-7741. Additionally, to receive periodic updates from EGLE on the USE-DS facility via email, subscribe to the USE-DS Hazardous Waste Facility list.
You are the eyes and ears of your community. Through your observations and reporting of activities of concern, you play a valuable role in helping EGLE protect human health and the environment.
To file a complaint or share details about improper waste handling or disposal, contact EGLE through the Pollution Emergency Alerting System (PEAS) Hotline at 800-292-4706.
Regulatory oversight of the USE-DS Site is conducted by EGLE and the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA). USE-DS is required to comply with state and federal hazardous waste regulations for the management of hazardous waste. USE-DS also conducts non-hazardous solid waste operations at the site, which are regulated by EGLE under a separate license. Frequent inspections are conducted by EGLE’s hazardous waste and solid waste programs to ensure compliance with these laws. Inspections are also conducted by EGLE’s Air Quality Division. Extensive monitoring of US Ecology’s discharge to the sewer system is conducted by the GLWA.
This US Ecology Site is one of fourteen hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facilities across Michigan. Together, these facilities provide treatment, storage, and disposal options to commercial, industrial, and municipal hazardous waste generators. There are approximately 22,500 hazardous waste generators in the Wayne County area. The Site is one of seven
operating treatment, storage, or disposal facilities in the Wayne County area. Explore the vicinity map depicting the hazardous waste generators and licensed hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal sites in the greater Wayne County area.
EGLE issues operating licenses for the management of hazardous waste in accordance with state and federal law. If the applicant proposes a site that will meet the requirements of all applicable laws and regulations, EGLE is obligated to issue the license. While EGLE must issue a license to a compliant site, EGLE has some discretion in developing license conditions that add safety measures to protect the community. Where hazardous waste sites coexist with residential communities, EGLE strives to use that discretion to minimize the impact the site will have on the quality of life of the residents in the neighboring communities.
EGLE previously licensed the Site for the management of hazardous wastes in 2003, under the ownership and operational control of US Liquids, Inc. In 2004, EQ purchased the Site from US Liquids, and US Ecology subsequently acquired EQ in 2014. Since 2014, the Site has remained under the operation and ownership control of US Ecology.
US Ecology submitted a hazardous waste operating license renewal application on September 10, 2008, before the expiration date of December 12, 2008, allowing the Site to continue operating under the current license. Since then, EGLE has approved the renewal application for administrative completeness, continued to conduct regular inspections at the Site, and continued to perform the technical review of the application to determine if the proposal meets Michigan’s hazardous waste regulations. On September 29, 2017, EGLE completed an initial technical review of the application and issued a technical Notice of Deficiency to USE-DS. USE-DS has since made multiple revisions to the renewal application to address deficiencies, including submitting a re-written Waste Analysis Plan on September 25, 2020.
For additional details, please see the electronic copy of the Application below. To review the Application in-person in EGLE’s Lansing District office, please contact Vickie Terry at TerryV2@Michigan.gov or 517-284-6546. To review the Application in-person in EGLE’s Warren District office, please contact Jennifer Block at BlockJ4@Michigan.gov or 586-753-3833. To review the Application in-person at the Main Branch of the Detroit Public Library, please contact the Reference Desk at 313-481-1400.
If you have questions regarding the hazardous waste license or application, please contact Tianna Kilgore at 517‑230‑4395, KilgoreT@michigan.gov, or EGLE-MMD-HWS@Michigan.gov.
Existing Operating License
Application Revisions
US Ecology License Renewal Application and Attachments
Stay Connected
Subscribe to the mailing list to receive updates from EGLE related to site specific activities. You are the eyes and ears of your community. Through your observations and reporting of activities of concern, you play a valuable role in helping the EGLE protect human health and the environment. To file a complaint or share details about improper waste handling or disposal, contact EGLE through the PEAS Hotline at 800-292-4706.
