National Airport is located at Superior Parkway and Willow Creek, South of Ford Road and was historically part of an 180-acre private airport that operated from the 1940s through 1980. Between 1958 and 1965 approximately 25 acres of the site was used as a municipal landfill. The site was redeveloped into an industrial park in the 1980s. A limited historic investigation identified buried drums on-site, a presumptive approach was used to address contamination at the site. Surface drums were removed and methane at the site’s perimeter was addressed. A restrictive covenant for the property was finalized with Ford Motor Company, Minnesota, Mining and Manufacturing (3M) and the City of Westland in September 2023, which restricts the installation of drinking water wells, as well as prohibiting all future construction at the site and requires maintenance of the 24-inch cap.
PFAS was sampled at the site on June 27, August 15, and December 9, 2024. Exceedances of EGLE criteria for PFOA and PFOS were detected in multiple wells. The highest concentrations were 340 ppt PFOS (compared to 16 ppt) in MW-11, and 200 ppt PFOA (compared to 8 ppt) in MW-20. Groundwater flow cannot be determined due to the lack of groundwater elevation measurements within the report; however, it is assumed that groundwater flows to the south/southeast due to the presence of Willow Creek along the southern property boundary.
View an aerial image of the site.
This app provides access to multiple datasets from Michigan’s PFAS Action Response Team (MPART), including data on official sites, surface water, public water supplies, and fish sampling.
See additional files related to the site.
EGLE, DHHS, and local health have reviewed residential well logs and are developing a plan to sample identified drinking water wells. Identified well owner(s) receive a letter in the mail requesting access to sample drinking water.
Ben Harshberger, HarshbergerB@Michigan.gov or 586-515-0352
