Kentwood Landfill

Overview

The Kentwood Landfill covers 72 acres in Kentwood, Michigan. It started as a town dump in the early 1950s and ran as a licensed solid waste facility from 1966 until it closed in 1976. EPA added it to the Superfund National Priorities List in September 1983. The site remains on that list today, and cleanup work is still being monitored and maintained.

Waste disposal operations left behind a mix of hazardous chemicals in soil, leachate, and groundwater. Contaminants include volatile organic compounds such as benzene, trichloroethene, and vinyl chloride, along with metals like arsenic, chromium, and lead. More than 60 chemical substances have been identified as contaminants of concern. They have been detected in leachate, groundwater, and solid waste at the site.

EPA selected the final cleanup remedy in March 1991. Construction finished in 1995 and included a protective cap over the landfill, landfill gas collection, leachate collection and treatment, and groundwater extraction and treatment. Groundwater use restrictions and zoning controls were also put in place to prevent unsafe exposure. In June 2025, EPA issued an Explanation of Significant Differences to update groundwater cleanup standards to reflect current Michigan levels. This update does not fundamentally change the remedy's scope or cost. Kent County is also installing an active gas ventilation system to prevent landfill gas migration near the on-site library and nearby buildings.

All affected drinking water wells have been replaced with deeper wells or connected to city water lines, so groundwater contamination poses little or no current threat to public health. EPA assessments confirm that human exposure is under control. However, EPA lists groundwater migration control as having insufficient data, so it cannot yet conclude whether contaminated groundwater migration has stabilized. The site is not yet ready for sitewide anticipated reuse. The most recent five-year review, completed in October 2024, found that response actions continue to protect human health and the environment in the short term. The next five-year review is scheduled for fall 2029.

The site has seen productive reuse. The Kentwood Branch Library, a 46,000-square-foot two-story building, opened there in August 2010. As of December 2024, four businesses on site employed 12 people. Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator. For technical questions, residents can contact the Remedial Project Manager.