Former S.D. Warren (SAPPI) (Muskegon, Muskegon County)

The former S.D. Warren site (also known as SAPPI) is located at 2400 Lakeshore Drive, on the south shore of Muskegon Lake and was occupied by a papermill from about 1900 to 2009. Manufacturing at the site stopped in 2009 and structures on the property have since been demolished. In 2016, the State of Michigan entered an Administrative Order by Consent (AOC) with the parties liable for the contamination. The AOC specified response activities that the liable parties were required to complete in exchange for the State agreeing not to sue or take administrative action against them.

The current property owner, Pure Muskegon, LLC (Pure Muskegon), purchased the site in 2016 intending to redevelop the now vacant property. During work to support redevelopment of the site, Pure Muskegon discovered PFAS in the groundwater. Although Pure Muskegon is not a liable party for the historical PFAS contamination, they voluntarily performed groundwater remediation activities at the site by operating a groundwater pump-and-treat remediation system in 2019 and 2020. The remediation system reduced PFAS concentrations in some areas of the site, however, significant PFAS contamination remains. Pure Muskegon voluntarily sent a workplan for the construction of a 4.9-acre remediation lake to EGLE in October 2021 as part of their efforts to further remediate the site. EGLE is reviewing the workplan to evaluate compliance with applicable environmental laws and rules.

Muskegon Lake is located on three sides of the site property. Groundwater flow has been determined to be towards Muskegon Lake.