Reichhold East Area (Ferndale, Oakland County)

Nicole Sanabria, SanabriaN@Michigan.gov or 517-281-7729.

Reichhold East Area located at 3101 Bermuda, was formerly owned by Reichhold Incorporated (Reichhold) to manufacture synthetic resins and polymers, from 1927 to 1989. Reichhold then performed closure and cleanup activities until 2014, when Reichhold filed for bankruptcy. The East Area of the former Reichhold property was then bought by Five-Star Store It (Five-Star), who now leases space as a self-storage company. As part of Reichhold's corrective action requirements to address historic contaminant releases, a soil bentonite containment wall was installed along the entire perimeter of the site in 1995 to prevent movement of any contaminated groundwater off-site. A clay cap was installed over the surface of the entire site to further prevent the migration of contamination. EGLE requested PFAS sampling in 2019 at this site due to the previous manufacturing of resins, which has been identified as a potential source of PFAS, according to the Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council.

Groundwater is shallow and discontinuous and flows to the northeast. Below it is a thick layer of clay which is estimated to extend down to bedrock over 100 feet deep. Due to the presence of the soil bentonite containment wall, clay cap, and local geology, groundwater is largely contained on-site. There are no lakes, streams or other water bodies in the area.

Content posted August 2020.

The surrounding area is connected to municipal water.

There is currently no plan for further investigation. PFAS contamination in groundwater is contained on-site, because of the soil bentonite containment wall surrounding the property and because the groundwater unit is discontinuous. Groundwater near the containment wall will continue to be monitored to make sure the wall continues to prevent the migration of groundwater off-site over time.