Laboratories Offering Home Testing
PFAS MCLs and Drinking Water
Statewide Testing Initiative
PFAS Sites and Areas of Interest
There are two major classes of firefighting foam: Class A and Class B. Class B is also called Aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) and is usually created using PFAS. It is a highly effective foam used for fighting high-hazard flammable liquid fires, like gasoline, oil, and jet fuel.
Wastewater Treatment Plants / Industrial Pretreatment Program
Official Correspondence
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Please contact the Site Lead for the most up-to-date status of this site.
James Staley, StaleyJ1@Michigan.gov or 231-429-1945
The Copper Harbor Landfill, located on Manganese Road, is an unlined landfill that was constructed prior to modern solid waste regulations and requirements. It is believed that the facility first began accepting waste in the 1930s and accepted primarily municipal solid waste from the Copper Harbor area until late 1990. Capping of the landfill began during the summer of 1991, and it was certified closed in the April 1993. The cap consists of a 30-MIL PVC membrane. Closure activities were conducted as part of a grant closure program offered by the State of Michigan.
Municipal and residential drinking water wells are located less than one mile from the unlined landfill. Due to the potential for PFAS to be present in groundwater from the waste placed in the landfill, on April 13, 2023, EGLE requested that Grant Township sample the groundwater monitoring wells for PFAS. Grant Township did not complete the sampling due to lack of adequate funding. EGLE conducted the sampling on October 10, 2023. Groundwater at two monitoring wells had PFAS over criteria; the highest result was 62 ppt PFOS (compared to 16 ppt). Historical documents indicate that groundwater flows in a westerly direction at the landfill.
Nearby water bodies include: Lake Fanny Hooe, which is located approximately 1,000 feet north of the landfill; and French Annie Creek and Manganese Falls, which are located approximately 350 feet northwest of the landfill. French Annie Creek flows in a northerly direction, and ultimately discharges into Lake Fanny Hooe.
Content updated December 2023.
View an aerial map of the site, with Lake Fanny Hooe to the north.
EGLE, DHHS, and local health officials evaluated drinking water well logs and intend to reach out to the closest residential well owner to sample their well. The municipal wells have been sampled for PFAS annually since 2020. PFAS has not been detected in the municipal wells during any of the annual sampling events.
EGLE anticipates returning to the landfill in May 2024 to collect another round of groundwater samples.