Menominee Warehouse Fire Area of Interest (Menominee, Menominee County)

Ashley Miller, MillerA65@Michigan.gov or 906-235-7435.

Resolute Forest Products is located at 701 North Fourth Avenue in Menominee next to the Menominee River and produces paper pulp. On October 6, 2022, a large-scale industrial fire started at the plant and impacted adjoining warehouses owned by KK Integrated Logistics and occupied by ChemDesign and Tyco/Johnson Controls. The adjoining warehouse contained numerous containers of Class B firefighting foam known to contain PFAS, as well as other containers of materials. Firefighting teams and incident management agencies responded, including Wisconsin, Michigan, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Water was initially used to fight the fire, but as the fire continued, a Class A foam was used to aid in firefighting operations. The fire was completely extinguished by October 20, 2022.

Early on, some firefighting water left the site and entered the river, which was a concern because the river flows into Green Bay, which is where the drinking water intakes are for the cities of Menominee, Michigan and Marinette, Wisconsin. Earth berms were installed quickly on-site and large holding tanks were mobilized to contain most of the fire water during continued firefighting operations. In total, over 5.5 million gallons of firewater was captured on-site within a combination of holding tanks, a large constructed bermed pond, and constructed holding tanks. All water contained in the pond was later pumped into holding tanks and the pond was deconstructed. In early November, a treatment system was installed to treat the water in the holding tanks before it is discharged into the river or pumped to the Menominee Wastewater Treatment Plant for additional treatment.

Sampling for PFAS started immediately at the Menominee Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Menominee Water Treatment Plant (which serves drinking water to nearby residents), the Marinette water supply, and the Menominee River. Surface water sampling along the river near the site, the "raw" lake water (the water going into the water treatment plant) and "treated water" (water that comes out of the water treatment plant used for drinking water) will continue to be sampled at a frequency determined by EGLE and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) in coordination with drinking water sampling in Wisconsin.

Some fire debris, including paper waste and pulp, was transported to two solid waste landfills, one in Michigan, one in Wisconsin. As of November 11, 2022, over 36,000 tons of fire debris material had been transported off the site. Firefighting foam that was compromised and spilled within a portion of the warehouse was vacuumed into holding tank containers and will be transported to a waste facility in Oregon for disposal. Waste is being characterized before transport and disposal.

Additional information can be found on the MDHHS Menominee Warehouse Fire Response websiteand the USEPA Menominee Michigan Warehouse Fire website.

The primary receptor is the Menominee River. Nearby residents are served by municipal water.

On October 17, 2023, eight groundwater samples were collected from seven monitoring wells.  The highest results above criteria were 120 ppt (or ng/L as indicated on the map) PFOA (compared to 8 ppt) and 29 ppt PFOS (compared to 16 ppt).  Due to the groundwater exceedances, the area of interest became an official MPART site in April 2024.

On October 17, 2023, eight groundwater samples were collected from seven monitoring wells.  The highest results above criteria were 120 ppt PFOA (compared to 8 ppt) and 29 ppt PFOS (compared to 16 ppt).  Due to the groundwater exceedances, the area of interest became an official MPART site in April 2024.

Content updated April 2024.

Nearby residents are served by municipal water systems which draw water from Green Bay. The public water supply will continue to be sampled quarterly.

EGLE and MDHHS will continue meeting as needed to evaluate data and determine next steps, in coordination with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff. Conversations will continue regarding the frequency of sampling.