GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — New tests have found high levels of PFAS, a likely carcinogen, around the North Kent Landfill on 10 Mile Road NE, prompting the county to provide bottled water to nearby residents, Kent County announced Monday.
The Kent County Department of Public Works, which runs the landfill just east of US-131 in Plainfield Township, said records show Wolverine Worldwide dumped there from 1980 to 1986.
The company went on to say it “is in favor of others becoming part of the solution.” “From our perspective, it doesn’t make sense to waste time and money to argue that,” Sherwood said.
A well at the southwest corner of the landfill showed PFAS level of 237 parts per trillion — triple the 70 parts per trillion level established by the state for drinking water, Sherwood said.
Consultants working for the county could start going door to door as early as Tuesday to set up times for testing their wells, while also providing bottled water at the county’s expense.
Wolverine is footing the bill for well testing, bottled water and whole-house water filtration systems for contaminated residential wells in established zones around its former House Street landfill in Belmont, which is only a short distance southwest of the North Kent Landfill.
The full Monday statement from Wolverine: “Wolverine Worldwide is pleased that Kent County is stepping forward and taking the lead to test homes near the North Kent landfill.
“Wolverine has demonstrated its willingness to do its part when it comes to issues that are potentially related to our operations and historical waste disposal practices.
We have paid for extensive residential groundwater testing in our community, and have installed and maintained more than 70 monitoring wells in the area with plans to install more in the future.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Environmental Assistance Center can be reached at 1.800.662.9278.