Please contact the Site Lead for the most up-to-date status of this site.
Brent Ritchie, RitchieB1@Michigan.gov or 616-581-1782.
Lacks Industries-Airlane (Lacks), located at 4260 Airlane Drive SE, is an active chrome plating facility. In 2000, Lacks conducted an investigation into the release of plating fluid from their facility. Several monitoring wells were installed and sampled for various metals (hexavalent chromium, copper, nickel) and other contaminants, and contamination was discovered in shallow groundwater near the facility and to the west. A groundwater collection system was installed, and contaminated groundwater was pumped from the west side of the building to an onsite treatment system. Treated water was discharged to the municipal wastewater system for final treatment.
Lacks voluntarily tested groundwater collected from existing monitoring wells and the groundwater capture system beginning in October 2018. The maximum concentration of PFOS measured was 11,000 ppt which came from the southern groundwater capture system sampled in October 2019. The highest groundwater sample contained PFOS at a concentration of 7,000 ppt and was collected from monitoring well TW-28 in November 2020. The groundwater capture system remains in operation at the facility and the wastewater treatment system was modified to provide filtration to remove PFAS from the wastewater effluent prior to discharge to the sanitary sewer system.
A new release of plating fluid was discovered at the facility on April 5, 2021, which also contained various metals and PFAS from the current plating mist suppressant, which included PFOS, 6:2 FTS, and other PFAS. Plating fluid leaked from the facility's spill containment system and below the building where it then flowed underground, into the storm water collection system, and then into the onsite storm water retention pond. As of August 2021, work was ongoing to further assess this new release and capture contaminated groundwater from below the building.
Based upon investigation work conducted at the facility in the early-2000's, a shallow, perched groundwater aquifer exists below the site and appears to flow to the west-northwest toward onsite wetlands and unnamed seasonal tributaries to Plaster Creek which is located less than one quarter mile west of the site. Based on recent studies, Lacks believes that all contaminated water can be captured and treated before it can migrate off-site. Additional investigation has been proposed to assess groundwater at the site and near the storm water retention pond.
Content posted January 2022.
No residential well sampling has been conducted because no residential or other water supply wells are present within a half-mile of the site. EGLE worked with Kent County Health Department to confirm that there were no nearby wells.
Additional work is needed to assess onsite groundwater in the vicinity of the plating facility to assure delineation and compliance with Part 201 and other environmental laws. Additional work is needed to assess the groundwater near the storm water pond and prevent the migration of contamination offsite and into Plaster Creek. Sampling of Plaster Creek is necessary to assure that this creek is not affected by this release. Results of outfall sampling conducted on April 5, 2021 indicated that PFAS was released into the creek at that time. Lacks continues to capture groundwater from below the building and pump it to the onsite wastewater treatment system to remove metals and PFAS prior to discharge to the sanitary sewer system. Lacks continues to assess the plating system to locate and repair leaks and has implemented additional operation and maintenance activities to prevent future releases from the plating line; furthermore, intensive inspections are planned during planned plant shut-downs in the future.
