Former Northside Landfill (Dalton Township, Muskegon County)

Matt Pfister, PfisterM@Michigan.gov, 616-485-1861.

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

The former Northside Landfill is located on the south side of East McMillan Road between Putnam and Pillon Roads in Dalton Township, Muskegon County. The landfill operated from at least the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The landfill reportedly received household and commercial waste; however, records indicate that the landfill may have received liquid and sludge industrial waste on at least one occasion.

In the spring of 2020, EGLE conducted a records review to attempt to identify the source of PFAS contamination that was impacting a Type II water supply for a childcare center that had been sampled by EGLE as part of the state-wide testing initiative. The former Northside Landfill was identified as the primary suspected source. In the summer of 2020, EGLE sampled seven residential drinking water wells in the area and began preparations for an initial environmental investigation at the site.

In October 2020, EGLE began an initial environmental investigation of the former Northside Landfill property, which consisted of groundwater sampling from temporary monitoring wells. PFAS were detected in multiple groundwater samples at concentrations exceeding one or more criteria.

Residences in the area are serviced by private drinking water wells. The former landfill is bordered to the east by Bear Creek, which flows from the northeast to southwest. Groundwater flow direction has not been measured but is likely towards Bear Creek.

Content posted July 2021.

Residences in the area are serviced by private drinking water wells. If you live within the sampling areas (see orange boundaries on map) and have not returned the sample agreement form, please consider doing so. If you have lost the form, please contact the EGLE project manager, Peter Van Heest, at VanHeestP@Michigan.gov or 616-439-8019 to receive a new form.

EGLE continues to offer to sample drinking water wells in the sample areas indicated on the map on this webpage if the owners agree to the sampling.