Eaton County Landfill (Charlotte, Eaton County)

Evin Maguire, MaguireE@Michigan.gov or 517-388-3525.

Please note that this landfill is CLOSED and does not accept waste. 

Eaton County Landfill is located off East Gresham Highway in Potterville and began operations as a Type 2 municipal solid waste landfill in 1971. The landfill was operated by the Eaton County Department of Public Works until its closure; the landfill stopped receiving waste in 1982 and was officially closed in 1986. In 1991, an effort was undertaken to evaluate the extent of the contamination. In 1996, increasing levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) originating from the landfill were found in one of the monitor wells surrounding the landfill. As a result, additional monitor wells were installed, and the contamination was found to be limited to the areas immediately surrounding the landfill. Due to historical contamination, in April 2019 EGLE requested that Eaton County sample groundwater, surface water, and leachate at the landfill for PFAS.

Groundwater flow in the vicinity of the landfill is to the northwest. No surface water impacts have been determined at this time. Surface water contamination is unlikely, however, a small tributary to the Thornapple River lies downgradient. A number of residential drinking water wells are within one mile downgradient; however, they are installed in deeper aquifers and PFAS contamination occurs only in the shallower aquifer immediately surrounding the landfill. Residential drinking water contamination is unlikely.

Content posted August 2020.

At this time residential drinking water contamination is unlikely.

EGLE will discuss the results with Eaton County and the necessity of resampling with a lower detection limit, and the possibility of routine PFAS sampling at Eaton County Landfill.