The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued an update for the on-going investigation into PFAS contamination at the Wolverine Worldwide Tannery and House Street site in Rockford, Michigan. According to the update, the contamination comes from Wolverine Worldwide’s former tannery in Rockford and a waste dump known as the House Street Disposal Area in Belmont. 

The PFAS groundwater contamination from the former tannery in Rockford are highest on-site, with discharges going west to the Rogue River, according to the update. Hydrogeologists expect that the groundwater plume will follow along the flow of the river to the south. To provide confirmation, additional groundwater monitoring wells are being installed. Concentrations of PFAS in on-site monitoring wells range have been detected as high as 450,000 ppt. 

PFAS contamination from the House Street Disposal Area has formed a groundwater contamination plume. The plume, which flows to the south/southeast, discharges to the Rogue River. Groundwater concentrations have been detected as high as 71,000 ppt from samples collected from the plume. Long-term groundwater monitoring wells are being installed to delineate the plume’s boundaries.

The MDEQ and EPA also announced an upcoming town hall meeting for the Wolverine Tannery PFAS investigation, schedule for January 23, 2019 at Rockford High School.

Merit Laboratories is Michigan’s PFAS environmental laboratory, analyzing soil, wastewater, groundwater, drinking water, and other sample matrices at our laboratory in East Lansing, Michigan. Merit is certified for the analysis of PFAS by ISO/IEC 17025. Analytical method certification for PFAS includes drinking water by EPA 537 rev. 1.1 and wastewater | groundwater | surface water by ASTM D7979 with Isotopic Dilution.

Please contact Merit Laboratories for assistance on your PFAS testing needs.