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Northeast Gravel (Belmont, Kent County)

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Please contact the Site Lead for the most up-to-date status of this site.

EGLE site lead

Karen Vorce, VorceK@Michigan.gov or 616-439-8008.

Waste Disposal Questions

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

Background

Northeast Gravel Company operated a licensed landfill on 20 acres located at 3769 Cannonsburg Road, formerly known as 4300 Cannonsburg Road, from 1966 through 1979. During that time, the Facility contained three unique disposal areas, including a Wolverine World Wide (WWW) tannery waste area, a domestic refuse area, and a plating waste area. The Grand River is directly south of this site and groundwater flows to the south-southwest.

In 1998, Northeast Gravel Company and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), entered into a voluntary agreement for a Limited Residential Based Remedy to address environmental contamination identified at the Facility, under Michigan's environmental cleanup law, Part 201. However, in 1998, PFAS was not a known contaminant of concern and no sampling of PFAS had been completed. The area containing the former waste cells was subsequently developed into what is now the Boulder Creek Golf Course.

It was brought to EGLE's attention in 2017 that WWW used PFAS in their tanning operations. Since this property was a known location where WWW tannery waste was disposed of, along with plating wastes, EGLE began to collect PFAS samples from nearby drinking water wells and irrigation wells in the fall of 2017. EGLE requested Northeast Gravel Company (now Boulder Creek Development Company, LLC (BCDC) to conduct additional investigation and response actions; once EGLE was provided with the report summarizing these actions, it was determined this property should be reported as its own MPART site. BCDC also sampled drinking water wells surrounding the golf course greens north of 7 Mile Road at the request of EGLE based on BCDC's use of PFAS contaminated irrigation water north of 7 Mile Road.

Content posted February 2022.

Site map

See an aerial view of the location of the site.

Expand the map

Drinking water

4 drinking water wells have been tested by EGLE. To date, a total of 17 homes located in the residential well sampling effort surrounding the golf course greens north of 7 Mile Road have been sampled by BCDC. All of the sample results are below the new Part 201 cleanup criteria which became effective August 3, 2020. All sample results are reflected on the sampling chart. A total of 18 homes located directly adjacent to the golf course greens north of 7 Mile Road were presumptively offered point-of-use filters (instead of being sampled), based on previous independent sampling completed by homeowners, which identified the presence of PFAS in shallow well groundwater. These 18 homes were connected to municipal water in the summer and fall of 2021.

Anticipated activities

BCDC will continue implementing the response and investigation activities as outlined in August 29, 2019 Response Activity Plan for PFAS (Posted below in the Documents section). EGLE will continue to oversee the response actions taken by the responsible party under Part 201 and continue to meet with them to get updates on the work being performed. Additional response actions are needed by the responsible party to determine the full extent of PFAS contamination and address the PFAS contamination migrating off the property.

Resources

Historical timeline

    • In October 2017, EGLE sampled four residential drinking water wells and two irrigation wells south of the Property along Cannonsburg Road.  PFOA and PFOS were detected in select wells, but at levels below 70 ppt. The highest total tested PFAS concentration was 277 ppt.  
    • In February 2018, EGLE sampled three existing monitoring wells on the south side of Cannonsburg road, in a down-gradient location to the landfill disposal cells.  Results showed PFOA and PFOS at concentrations above 70 ppt, and total tested PFAS concentrations of over 450 ppt.  
    • On February 21, 2018, EGLE sent a compliance communication letter to Northeast Gravel Company (now Boulder Creek Development Company LLC (BCDC)) requesting additional PFAS investigation and response actions to be completed at the site.
    • In April 2018, EGLE met with BCDC to discuss sample results that EGLE collected in October 2017 and February 2018.  
    • In May 2018 and June 2018, EGLE sampled two additional irrigation wells located on the Boulder Creek Golf Course and collected three surface water samples from the ponds located south of the former landfill disposal cells.
    • On June 19, 2018, EGLE sent a second compliance communication letter to BCDC requesting additional investigation and response actions to be completed at the site.
    • On June 29, 2018, based on the pond surface water testing results, a "Do Not Eat" fish advisory was issued for the ponds at the Boulder Creek Development / Golf Course. Signs have been installed stating "Catch and Release Fishing Only." These ponds are privately owned by Boulder Creek. Three ponds had been sampled and their results were:
      • 858 ppt PFOS
      • 1,830 ppt PFOS
      • 2,760 ppt PFOS
      • All samples had other PFAS present; however, it is PFOS that drives fish advisories.
    • In July 2018, EGLE and Kent County Health Department met with representatives of BCDC to discuss EGLE's PFAS sampling results to date at the site, and BCDC's obligations regarding additional response actions under Part 201.
    • In August 2018, BCDC sampled two existing monitoring wells at the property (results provided to EGLE in May 2019).
    • On September 12, 2018, BCDC submitted their PFAS Investigation Work Plan to EGLE, which was requested by EGLE in the June 19, 2018, compliance communication letter.
    • In September 2018, BCDC and their consultant held a community outreach meeting with the local condominium associations at the property.
    • In January and February 2019, BCDC installed and sampled three soil borings in the WWW tannery waste cell, three soil borings in the plating waste cell, two monitoring wells, four piezometers.  BCDC also collected 7 surface water samples, gauged surface water flow at six locations across the site and resampled three drinking water wells to the east of the site.  Results were provided to EGLE in May 2019.      
    • On May 23, 2019, BCDC submitted a Project Update PFAS Investigation Report to EGLE which summarized the results from the August 2018, and January and February 2019 investigation activities. 
    • On June 10, 2019, EGLE and Kent County Health Department met with representatives of BCDC and their consultant to discuss the findings of the May 2019 PFAS Investigation Report and anticipated next steps at the property. ?
    • On July 24, 2019 EGLE sent BCDC a Violation and Demand Letter regarding their Part 201 obligations and requested additional response activities.
    • On August 20, 2019, EGLE sent Wolverine World Wide (Wolverine) a "Compliance Communication Letter Regarding Releases at the Northeast Gravel Company Site" which summarized Wolverine's liability under Part 201.
    • On August 21, 2019, EGLE and Kent County Health Department met with Boulder Creek to discuss their planned response activities and obligations at the site. 
    • On August 30, 2019, BCDC submitted a "Response Activity Plan for PFAS" to EGLE for review.
    • On September 19, 2019, EGLE sent BCDC a letter in response to the drinking water well sampling portion of the August 29, 2019 "Response Activity Plan for PFAS". 
    • On October 24, 2019, BCDC's environmental consultant mailed out 27 letters to homes who are included in the initial residential well sampling effort surrounding the golf course greens north of 7 Mile Road.  
    • On October 29, 2019, EGLE sent BCDC a letter in response to the "Response Activity Plan for PFAS". The letter served as EGLE's approval of the proposed work (minus Section 4.3 which was discussed in the September 19, 2019 letter).
    • On December 5, 2019, EGLE hosted a community meeting for residents located within the PFAS investigation area surrounding the golf course greens north of 7 Mile Road, at Plainfield Township Hall. Local and State Health Departments also were present at the meeting. 
    • On January 11, 2021, BCDC submitted a letter response to EGLE's December 17, 2020 Violation and Demand Letter.

      Sampling Summary Results: PFOS and PFOA Only 

      Type of Sample

      Date Sampled (or Range)

      Number of Samples

      Number of Results Received

      Number of Non-Detects  Number Between Non-detect and Standard*  Number Greater Than or Equal to Standard 

      Groundwater

      October 2017 - February 2019 14 14 2 4 8
      Surface Water May 2018 - February 2019 10 10 1 1 8
      Residential Wells October 2017 - February 2019 21 21 16 5 0
      Cumulative 45 45 19 10 16

       

      *Groundwater results are compared to EGLE Part 201 Criteria of 70 ppt PFOS+PFOA.
      *Surface water and effluent results are compared to Rule 57 surface water quality values of 12 ppt for PFOS and 12,000 ppt for PFOA. 
      *Residential well results are compared to the USEPA LHA of 70 ppt PFOS+PFOA. 

      Related Sampling Notes

      • Based on the surface water testing results, a "Do Not Eat" fish advisory was issued for the ponds at the Boulder Creek Development / Golf Course. Signs have been installed stating "Catch and Release Fishing Only." These ponds are privately owned by BCDC.
      • Other PFAS analytes were detected in samples. 
      • EGLE has also collected:
        • 4 irrigation well samples; these samples ranged from Non-Detect to 2,491 ppt PFOS+PFOA and 3,475 ppt Total Tested PFAS.
        • 6 waste samples: the tannery waste's highest result was 42,370,000 ppt PFOS+PFOA and
        • 65,265,000 ppt Total Tested PFAS; the plating waste's highest result was 1,002,000 ppt PFOS+PFOA and 1,066,000 ppt Total Tested PFAS.
    • On April 26, 2021, EGLE sent BCDC an Enforcement Notice regarding BCDC's obligations under Part 201 and what actions need to be taken by BCDC to resolve their liability and violations to avoid escalated enforcement.
    • In the summer and fall of 2021, a total of 25 homes located north of 7 Mile Road, along Brewer Avenue, Butternut Drive, and Bittersweet Drive. were connected to municipal water by Plainfield Township with funding provided by EGLE’s Consolidation and Contamination Risk Reduction (C2R2) Grant program under the MI Clean Water Plan.

    Sampling Notes

    • On August 3, 2020, new Part 201 Criteria went into effect.  Historical sampling data compared to Part 201 Criteria >70 is captured in the historical timeline below.
    • Based on the surface water testing results, a "Do Not Eat" fish advisory was issued for the ponds at the Boulder Creek Development / Golf Course. Signs have been installed stating "Catch and Release Fishing Only." These ponds are privately owned by BCDC.
    • Other PFAS analytes were detected in samples. There are no federal or state standards for these analytes.