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.
Emma Rieb, RiebE@Michigan.gov or 517-331-4205
The city of Cedar Springs operated a 45-acre wastewater lagoon system between 1965 and 1999 at 730 West Street NE (including parcels 725, 750, and 755 West Street NE). The former wastewater treatment plant lagoons were closed in place and covered with clean soil and seed mix. Wastewater from Cedar Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) has been discharged to a new system since 1999. The current WWTP drain field is located at 4482 and 4550 Indian Lakes Road NE and is managed under a groundwater discharge permit. Groundwater at the historic lagoon site continues to be sampled annually by the city of Cedar Springs for ammonia, arsenic, iron, and manganese in accordance with the Remedial Action Plan. The current WWTP discharge field monitoring wells are sampled quarterly in accordance with the groundwater discharge permit. The results of the analyses are submitted to EGLE's Water Resources Division (WRD) as required. Near the former lagoons, shallow groundwater flows to the west/southwest and the deeper aquifer is estimated to flow south/southwest. Both shallow and deep groundwater flow in a more southerly direction near the current WWTP discharge fields.
At the request of EGLE, in late January 2020, the city of Cedar Springs collected groundwater samples from existing shallow monitoring wells in the area surrounding their former lagoons and their current WWTP discharge fields and submitted them for laboratory analysis of PFAS. This request was based on the fact that low level PFAS contamination had been identified by some residents in the area who sampled their own drinking water wells for PFAS. Information related to area residential drinking water sampling was previously included as part of this MPART site page but can now be found on the page for the Algoma-Cedar Springs AOI. A separate investigation has been designated for this area because the source(s) of PFAS causing the residential well contamination have not been determined.
Results of the City’s late January 2020 groundwater sampling identified PFOA in exceedance of the groundwater cleanup criteria in four of five monitoring wells sampled at the former lagoons. The highest results were near the former lagoons at 43 ppt PFOA (compared to 8 ppt cleanup criteria) in MW-7A. Additionally, one of the four monitoring wells sampled at the current discharge fields exceeded the groundwater cleanup criteria for PFOA, with a concentration of 10 ppt PFOA in MW-5. Since this time, EGLE has worked with the City to address their obligations to investigate the extent and nature of PFAS contamination in groundwater at the former lagoons and to characterize groundwater conditions associated with the current discharge fields. In 2023, to assist with these efforts, EGLE awarded the City of Cedar Springs a federal 604(b) planning grant to further evaluate potential sources of PFAS to the WWTP and evaluate potential PFAS impacts to groundwater and downgradient receptors from the former lagoon area and the current discharge field.
Last updated : May 2026
See an aerial view of the location of the site.
EGLE obtained state funding and sampled drinking water wells for PFAS in the vicinity of the historic lagoons and the current discharge fields. Information about this drinking water well sampling can be found on the page for the Algoma-Cedar Springs AOI.
EGLE will continue to work with the City of Cedar Springs to address the City’s obligations under the requirements of Part 201 and Part 22 Rules, as applicable.
