State begins surface water testing at former Ottawa County landfill following PFAS detection
High levels of toxic "forever chemicals" have been detected at the former Sanico North Landfill in Ottawa County, triggering state oversight to monitor surface water and prevent the contamination from spreading toward nearby waterways.
NUNICA — High levels of toxic "forever chemicals" have been detected at the former Sanico North Landfill in Ottawa County, triggering state oversight to monitor surface water and prevent the contamination from spreading toward nearby waterways.
Earlier this year, the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) officially designated the inactive landfill — located at 144th Avenue in Nunica — a PFAS contamination site. Operating from the 1960s until its closure in the mid-1980s, the facility accepted a broad mix of residential, agricultural, commercial, and industrial waste.
The property has been privately owned since the landfill’s closure, and has transferred hands multiple times in recent years. The site was bought by West Michigan Environmental Holdings from Very Good Home Builders in August 2025.
PFAS sites and areas of interest in Ottawa County
• 120th Avenue Area: Area around Robinson Elementary School, Grand Haven. In September 2018, Robinson Elementary had its drinking water well tested by EGLE as part of the statewide sampling initiative. The results from this well were 110 ppt PFOS+PFOA, which is over the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) Lifetime Health Advisory (LHA) level of 70 ppt PFOS+PFOA. This prompted a public health response from the state. A source investigation began immediately in the area, which includes the Robinson Township Fire Department. No definite source for the PFAS has been confirmed.
• Challenge Machinery Co.: 295 N. Beechtree St., Grand Haven. EGLE received a Baseline Environmental Assessment (BEA) in February 2022 for a portion of the old Challenge Machinery Company property, specifically 295 North Beechtree Street, Grand Haven. From 1903 to 2001, Challenge Machinery Company utilized the property to manufacture equipment and machinery for the graphic arts/printing industry. There is an extensive history of contamination at this property. The BEA included September 2021 sampling data, which identified PFAS exceedances of groundwater clean-up criteria. Eight temporary monitoring wells were installed and sampled for groundwater. The highest concentrations of PFOA and PFOS were 110 ppt and 190 ppt, respectively.
• Fenske Landfill Inc.: 2646 Kenowa Ave., Tallmadge Charter Township. Fenske Landfills Inc. has historically been used for municipal, commercial, and industrial waste. According to records, waste oil, paint sludges, solvents, septic tank sludge, and plating wastes were disposed of in lagoons in the areas now occupied by the Phase I and II cells. In 1984, EGLE sampled groundwater downgradient of the landfill and detected Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the groundwater above drinking water standards. In 2001 and 2002, after the liable parties failed to implement appropriate response, EGLE used state funds to cap the Phase II cell and operated a leachate treatment system to prevent leaking of the landfill leachate into the Grand River.
• JB Sims Generating Station: 1231 N. Third St., Grand Haven. Harbor Island, in Grand Haven, started as natural marshland near the mouth of the Grand River and was initially used as a landing point for logging operations. In the 1950s and 1960s, the island was used as a city dump: wastes were disposed of and pushed into the low marshland areas. The coal-fired J.B. Sims Generating Station, located at 1231 North 3rd Street, was constructed and started operating in the early 1960s. It was operated by the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power (GHBLP). Coal ash wastes were disposed in unlined lagoons and the adjacent wetlands. In the early 1980s, clay lined lagoons were constructed for coal ash management. New federal regulations in 2015 and State of Michigan requirements in 2018 required the site to complete various actions, including assessing the groundwater for potential impacts from site operations.
• Southwest Ottawa County Landfill Superfund Site: 2901 N. 160th Ave., Park Township. The 43-acre Southwest Ottawa County Landfill located at 2901 N. 160th Ave. operated as a state-licensed landfill until its closure in 1981. The landfill was constructed and began operation by Ottawa County in 1968 and received solvents, heavy metals, sludge, oils, municipal refuse, and drums containing unspecified wastes. Major contaminants in the groundwater included: volatile organic compounds and iron. All of the contaminants were present at levels above the state's criteria. The site was added to the Superfund National Priorities List in September 1983.
• Warner-Lambert Co. LLC: 188 Howard Ave., Holland. The site, located at 188 Howard Avenue, Holland, was formerly owned by Warner-Lambert Company, LLC, but was acquired by Pfizer, Inc., in 2000. It was primarily used for pharmaceutical manufacturing from 1951 to 2007 and cleanup has been ongoing at the site since 2000.
• Citgo Petroleum Corp.: 524 Third St., Ferrysburg. Citgo Petroleum Corporation (Citgo) has a terminal located at 524 3rd Street, Ferrysburg. In the 1990s there were three petroleum releases, which caused environmental contamination. Because of that, the property has been under ongoing cleanup and monitoring for many years.
• Sanico North Landfill: 17171 144th Ave., Nunica
• Tallmadge Area of Interest: PFAS was detected at concentrations below drinking water standards at Future Steps Daycare during the initial EGLE Statewide PFAS Sampling in 2018. In September 2023, Ottawa County Local Health Department (OCHD) sampled eight residential drinking water wells located within an 800-foot radius of the Future Steps Daycare. Four wells were non-detect for PFAS and four wells had detections of PFAS below drinking water criteria.
As part of the property transaction, a Baseline Environmental Assessment (BEA) was conducted at the site of the former landfill. The assessment allows a buyer to acquire property without being held liable for existing environmental contamination.
Groundwater testing conducted last summer indicated the presence of several PFAS compounds. The data showed levels of PFOA, perfluorooctanoic acid, as high as 120 parts per trillion. By comparison, the maximum contaminant level in Michigan is 8 ppt. The test also revealed levels of PFOS, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, reaching 26 ppt instead of the recommended 16 ppt.
“The PFAS sampling during the BEA is the only PFAS sampling on record,” said Scott Dean, strategic communications officer for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).
In Michigan, the establishment of maximum contaminant levels and sampling requirements for seven types of PFAS compounds formally took effect in 2020.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of synthetic chemicals that have been used since the 1950s. There are thousands of different types of PFAS compounds, with research into the chemicals and their effects on health outcomes still ongoing.
According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the compounds’ carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest, meaning PFAS compounds do not degrade easily in landfills and the environment.
“Former landfills are one of the more common PFAS sources because they historically accepted waste containing PFAS, such as household waste, carpets, waterproof clothing, treated paper and industrial waste,” explained Dean.
Groundwater at the site of the former landfill flows west-northwest toward Lloyds Bayou, approximately 900 feet away. Dean said that surface water PFAS sampling will be conducted at several locations downgradient of the site this summer.
PFAS testing at the landfill site is the joint responsibility of the property’s current owner and EGLE. There is no county involvement in assessment and containment efforts.
Further, after sampling residential well logs, state health officials determined that nearby drinking water wells aren’t in need of sampling. According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, there is no need for residential well sampling because the area is supplied by municipal water.
While surface water sampling is being conducted this summer, EGLE said that no cleanup technologies or further remediation efforts are being considered at this time.
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The state’s primary focus is preventing exposure to groundwater contamination. The feasibility of removing contaminants from groundwater can be limited due to the persistence of PFAS compounds in the environment.
“In many instances, it is not feasible to remediate contaminated groundwater aquifers once the contamination has been released and migrated over large areas,” said Dean. “The state's primary focus remains on the drinking water pathway and preventing exposure to groundwater contamination.”
Dean added that cleaning up PFAS can take years, or even decades, because of the way in which the chemicals persist in the environment. He noted that the amount of time required to rid a site of PFAS chemicals depends on the cleanup method being used and the extent of the contamination.
— Contact ONN reporter Hailey Hentz at hhentz@ottawanewsnetwork.org.
