PFAS cleanup project in Kent County reaches major milestone

More than five years after a landmark PFAS settlement with the state, Wolverine Worldwide has hit a major milestone in its efforts to clean up contamination in northern Kent County. EGLE Director Phil Roos and staff from the Grand Rapids District Office toured the two Wolverine sites in late April to get a closer look at the remediation work.

Rockford-based Wolverine Worldwide used PFAS compounds to waterproof its boots and shoes. PFAS is a family of long-lasting chemicals linked to cancer and other diseases. Contamination from Wolverine’s tannery and from its dumping sites reached residential water wells in Plainfield Township and Algoma Township. A federal judge approved a consent decree between the State of Michigan and Wolverine in February of 2020 to address the drinking water issue and to require investigation and remedial actions at the former tannery and the House Street disposal site. It requires the company to pay $69.5 million to hook up more than 1,000 homes in those two townships to a municipal water supply in addition to the work to address contamination within the North Kent Study Area.

Shortly before April’s EGLE visit, Wolverine announced that an interceptor trench system is now operating at the tannery site in Rockford. The EGLE-approved system captures groundwater before it reaches the Rogue River and Rum Creek. The contaminated water is pushed through a granulated carbon treatment system that filters PFAS, bacteria, and other contaminants, before being discharged into the Rogue River. This work is being done under an EGLE permit.

The House Street Disposal Area is a property where Wolverine Worldwide dumped waste from the tannery in unlined trenches. Under the consent decree, Wolverine was required to submit a plan to manage solid waste and reduce migration of PFAS from the property. The EGLE-approved plan requires the company to move and consolidate contamination beneath four lined landfill caps covering 27 acres of land. This summer, a contractor will continue placing topsoil over the caps. Grass will be seeded and vegetation planted in the soil.

Director Roos and the Grand Rapids District Office staff visited both sites on April 24. They checked out the water treatment system at the tannery and watched trucks placing topsoil on the last of the four capped areas at the House Street site.

“Much has been accomplished during this time, from the installation of municipal water, to groundwater and surface water investigations, to installation of the landfill cap system at House Street and interceptor groundwater system at the Tannery,” noted Karen Vorce, Grand Rapids District Office supervisor. “EGLE staff is grateful for the invaluable feedback and support from the local community as this work has been conducted, you are the reason we do what we do, we appreciate you.”