PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI — Wolverine World Wide dumped tannery sludge in a Kent County landfill that closed in 1986 following groundwater contamination problems, according to records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
The county subsequently found records of Wolverine’s use in response to a public records request.
Official testing for contamination from the House Street landfill has not extended east of Belmont Avenue NE to properties adjacent and down gradient of the landfill, which also borders the south side of the DEQ’s Wolven Avenue and 10 Mile testing area, where drinking water wells are contaminated with high PFAS levels.
The investigation into water contamination stemming from House Street and at other known and suspected Wolverine tannery waste dump sites prompted Kent County to start its largest-ever cancer study.
Kent County is awaiting guidance from the DEQ or the Environmental Protection Agency, Baas said.
"We’re really looking for some guidance from the state and EPA," he said, referencing the Kent County Health Department’s request that Gov.
Wolverine has not responded to requests for more information about the North Kent Landfill.
Plainfield Township’s approval was required to dump industrial waste at the landfill.
Carl Huber wrote that Wolverine had been taking sludge to the Granger Grand River Landfill near Lansing after the company was forced to stop dumping at the Northeast Gravel pit in southeast Plainfield Township.
"Since that time, Wolverine has been exploring the alternatives for disposal, including disposing of the filter cake at another landfill site," Huber wrote.