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House Street Feasibility Study Update
JANUARY 2021
1855 House Street Background
This 76-acre property was the first licensed landfill in the State of Michigan (1966)
The landfill was used by Wolverine Worldwide (WWW) to dispose of tannery byproducts containing Scotchgard until 1970
In 2017, the property was identified as a possible source of PFOA and PFOS detected in area groundwater
WWW supplied bottled water and water filters to area residents, while working with MDEQ to sample drinking water and analyze the property, taking thousands of groundwater, waste, soil, and other samples
Pursuant to an agreement with the EPA, in 2019 WWW capped five small areas on the property to address the presence of non-PFAS substances Today, the property
is fenced, and is covered with trees, shrubs, and vegetation. It serves as a habitat for thousands of birds, animals, and other wildlife
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1855 House StreetH
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1855 House Street
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Consent Decree Overview• The Consent Decree (CD) was entered on February 19, 2020, to resolve the litigation between the State of
Michigan, Plainfield Township, Algoma Township, and WWW
• Under the Consent Decree, Wolverine Worldwide agreed to:
• Provide $69.5M over a multi-year period towards:
• An extension of municipal water to ~1,000 properties, including all hookup and connection fees homeowners typically pay themselves; and
• a permanent PFAS filtration system and new municipal wellfield
• Continue maintaining certified water filters WWW installed at homes that are not receiving municipal water, and that have PFAS levels over regulatory limits
• Resample residential wells for PFAS on a rotating schedule
• Install monitoring wells and conduct ongoing environmental investigations to further assess the presence of PFAS in area groundwater
• Complete the installation of a groundwater interception and filtration system at WWW’s former Tannery site
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Feasibility Study Overview• Under the Consent Decree, WWW agreed to submit a Feasibility Study (“FS”) on or before
February 19, 2021
• A FS is a written document used to evaluate and ultimately select from among various remedial options. Each option is measured against performance objectives set forth in the Consent Decree, which for the House Street property include:
• Managing solid wastes
• Reducing and controlling potential migration of PFAS from soils and sludges into the groundwater
• The Consent Decree sets forth two specific options that must be evaluated in the FS:
• A 30-acre surface cap without a bottom liner, and
• A 20-acre surface cap with a liner and leachate collection system
• The CD provides that other options can be included in the FS, including some combination of a smaller cap and groundwater interceptor, collection, or treatment systems
• Ultimately, the FS must recommend a specific remedial option, which is subject to review and approval by MDEQ
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Feasibility Study OptionsH
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Option 1 Option 2
DescriptionNature Preserve with remediation, including phytoremediation and strategic capping
30-acre surface cap
ProsPreserves the property mostly as-is, while providing long-term public benefits and accomplishing environmental remediation
Default option under CD
ConsWill need to determine long-term maintenance and operational plan
Disruptive, leaves property unattractive and largely unusable
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This presentation provides details about Option 1 (Nature Preserve with remediation) and Option 2 (30-acre surface cap), the two most likely options. Several additional options are being evaluated, however, and when submitted the Feasibility Study will include details on all options.
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OPTION 1:
House Street Nature Preserve
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OPTION 1: Nature Preserve ElevationH
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HOUSE STREET
Nature PreserveOverview
The nature preserve option will include remediation measures designed to achieve the performance objectives established in the Consent Decree, including:
• Additional capping will be placed on strategic areas on the site. For example, the planned parking lot will cap a portion of one of the thickest waste areas
• New plantings will include hundreds of poplar and spruce trees, which – over time – will remove PFAS from the ground through a process known as phytoremediation
• Poplar and spruce trees have been selected because they are particularly good at phytoremediation
How phytoremediation works:
• This is a process where the roots of each tree take up PFAS, removing it from the ground and storing it within the tree
• Phytoremediation is a proven method for removing pollutants from the ground, and has been used at hundreds/thousands of places around the world
• Once mature, each spruce tree can remove 100,000 mg of PFAS from the ground each year, and each poplar tree can remove 500,000 mg of PFAS
• As these trees age and their roots grow deeper, these trees will remove PFAS from increasing depths below the surface
• In addition to removing PFAS from the soil, these spruce and poplar trees also have another remediation benefit – because of the volume of water used by the trees, they minimize water infiltration. In other words, less rainwater goes through the ground and into the aquifer
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We intend to identify the Nature Preserve as WWW’s selected remedial option in the FS
10*This EPA graphic illustrates phytoremediation generally, but is not specific to 1855 House Street.
HOUSE STREET
Nature PreserveOverview (cont.)
We also believe this will provide a significant community benefit while also addressing environmental issues:
• Preserves most of the existing trees
• Provides for extensive new plantings
• Provides a public recreation area, including trails and other facilities
+ Full scope of recreation facilities to be determined in conjunction with Township and public, but could include hiking/biking trails, picnic pavilion/area, etc.
+ Opportunities for nature and wildlife programming with local schools
Environmental safety on the site can be assured:
• Direct contact with PFAS waste is not a concern, since all of it is below the surface and all of it will be covered by at least two feet of soil
• PFAS does not present vapor or gas concerns
• Non-PFAS substances have already been addressed through the five caps we installed in 2019, working with the EPA
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We intend to identify the Nature Preserve as WWW’s selected remedial option in the FS
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National & Local Examples
Approach: A community benefit with local character informed by national trends
Michigan examples• Riley Trails (pictured below)
• Butterworth landfill No. 2 – recreational use including bike trails
• Aircraft Components/Harbor Shores Golf Course in Benton Harbor / St. Joseph
• Mt. Brighton Ski Area
National examples• Red Rock Canyon in Colorado
• César Chávez Park in Berkeley, California
• ~4,500 acres of urban parks have been created from landfills
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OPTION 2: 30-Acre CapH
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OPTION 2: 30-Acre Cap ElevationH
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Township Master PlanH
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The House Street Nature Preserve concept helps meet Plainfield Township’s identified need for green space in the northwestern part of the Township.
Resources• We Are Wolverine – https://wearewolverine.com/
• EPA site with overview of environmental sites turned into parks or natural spaces: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/epa_oblr_successstory_region9_openspace_v2_508.pdf
• EGLE/House Street Disposal Area –https://www.michigan.gov/pfasresponse/0,9038,7-365-86511_82704_83030---,00.html
• Plainfield Township information about Consent Decree: https://plainfieldmi.org/pfas_settlement/index.php
• List of environmental sites turned into parks:https://www.thrillist.com/culture/15-landfills-that-are-now-stunning-parks-wastelands-converted-into-parks
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