Please contact the Site Lead for the most up-to-date status of this site.
Mike Jury, JuryM1@Michigan.gov, 517-242-9578
The Paw Paw Lake Area Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) was required by EGLE to sample their effluent and it was found to contain 23 ppt PFOS, which exceeded the water quality value of 12 ppt. Due to the exceedance, the plant was required to evaluate potential sources discharging into their waste stream.
The WWTP’s investigation resulted in finding two areas in Watervliet: old irrigation fields used by a former paper company and a sewer line near the old paper mill that discharges to the WWTP. A lift station near the irrigation fields had 420 ppt PFOS and 800 ppt PFOA (compared to 16 ppt for PFOS, and 8 ppt for PFOA) and the sewer line near the paper mill had 4,200 ppt PFOA, and 870 ppt PFOS.
Groundwater flows towards the Paw Paw River.
Content posted May 2025.
View proposed residential well sample locations, sewer system sample results, and more.
In September 2024, EGLE’s contractor sampled the closest drinking water wells that agreed to sampling. All 40 wells sampled were non-detect for PFAS. No additional sampling is planned.
Because all residential wells sampled were non-detect for PFAS, no additional sampling is planned.
