Please contact the Site Lead for the most up-to-date status of this site.
These plants receive residential, commercial, and sometimes industrial wastewater that may contain PFAS. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are not designed to treat for PFAS, therefore PFAS may pass through the treatment system to surface waters (i.e., lakes, rivers, etc.) and groundwater. EGLE is actively working with these wastewater treatment plants to address PFAS.
For more information, please see the Wastewater Workgroup page.
Kevin Wojciechowski, WojciechowskiK@Michigan.gov or 586-623-2948.
The city of Belding (City) operates the Belding Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) located at 1500 Wells Street, which is an approximately 54-acre wastewater treatment system that went into operation in 1965. The WWTP includes five wastewater treatment lagoons and discharges treated wastewater to the Flat River.
Since 2018, under EGLE's Industrial Pretreatment Program (IPP) PFAS Initiative, the City has been required to conduct quarterly PFAS sampling of the treated wastewater from the Belding WWTP. This sampling found PFAS in the treated wastewater, including PFOA and PFOS. The City evaluated potential sources of PFAS to the WWTP and identified one source: leachate from the Pitsch Sanitary Landfill. As of May 1, 2021, the City no longer accepts leachate from the landfill for treatment to reduce the amount of PFAS entering the WWTP. Additional reduction efforts are being evaluated.
In July 2020, the City sampled sludge in the five wastewater treatment lagoons for PFAS as part of their ongoing investigation. Elevated concentrations of PFAS were detected in sludge from three of the lagoons. The Belding WWTP has had ongoing issues with lagoon leakage (i.e., a discharge of wastewater from the lagoon to the groundwater through the bottom and sides of the lagoon) and is currently working with EGLE to address this compliance issue. Due to this previous evidence of lagoon leakage, EGLE was concerned that PFAS from the lagoon sludge may be entering the groundwater. As a result, EGLE requested that the City sample five existing groundwater monitoring wells, located downgradient of the lagoons, for PFAS. PFAS was detected above criteria in two of the five groundwater monitoring wells.
Estimated shallow groundwater flow is to the south/southeast towards the Flat River. EGLE is working with the City to determine the impact (if any) to the Flat River and identify residential wells downgradient of the lagoons.
Content posted August 2022.
EGLE in coordination with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Ionia County Health Department will expand the precautionary residential well sampling if determined to be necessary.
EGLE will continue to work with the City to define the extent of PFAS contamination in the groundwater and address the source of PFAS to the groundwater from the wastewater treatment lagoons.
