104 North Kinney Avenue (Mt. Pleasant, Isabella County)

Matthew Werle, WerleM@Michigan.gov, 989-385-1680

104 North Kinney Avenue has been an operating dry cleaner for decades, currently owned by American Cleaners. In 1991, a tetrachloroethylene (PCE) plume was associated with the site. In 2021, following years of inactivity, EGLE began to investigate the surrounding properties. During this investigation, PCE was found at 28,000 ug/L in groundwater on a residential property immediately adjacent to and west of the American Cleaners site and in the sanitary sewer located in front of the dry cleaner. Concentrations of PCE have been found several blocks downgradient of the American Cleaners site. EGLE requested assistance from the EPA in investigating the volatilization to indoor air pathway, as well as installing vapor mitigation systems in buildings deemed necessary. EGLE conducted PFAS sampling at this site because PFAS has been found in dry-cleaning products used in the industry.

Groundwater in the area is present in several subsurface intervals, or aquifers, which are at 5-8 feet, 12-15 feet and 19-22 feet. The bulk of all contamination is found in the 12-15 feet aquifer, which connects with the lower aquifer in places. Groundwater flows to the northwest, toward the Chippewa River.

Content posted August 2022.

The city of Mount Pleasant provides municipal water to the area.

EGLE will continue to work at this site to delineate the groundwater contamination plume. PFAS will be sampled at the sewer outfall to the Chippewa River in the near future.