Petoskey Municipal Well Field

Overview

The Petoskey Municipal Well Field site sits in Petoskey, Michigan, in Emmet County. It has been on the EPA's National Priorities List since September 1983. A die casting and painting operation at the former Petoskey Manufacturing Company contaminated soil and groundwater with volatile organic compounds, mainly trichloroethylene, also called TCE. That contamination spread to the Ingalls Shore Municipal Well, which supplied drinking water to city residents until late 1997. The city removed the well in 2006 and replaced it with a new source, so residents no longer drink water affected by the pollution.

Nine contaminants of concern have been identified at the site, all found in groundwater or soil. They include TCE, tetrachloroethene, vinyl chloride, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, MTBE, arsenic, and zinc. TCE was detected across multiple media, including groundwater, soil, soil gas, and indoor air.

EPA has completed five five-year reviews of the site. The 2020 review found the remedy is not working as intended because the TCE plume is shrinking too slowly and vapor intrusion remains a concern. Vapor intrusion happens when TCE vapors from contaminated groundwater seep up into buildings. Testing in 2017 confirmed this was occurring at the Water Street Condominiums. EPA notified residents, provided temporary air purifiers, and then installed permanent vapor mitigation systems at every condominium unit and one adjacent building. In September 2022, EPA signed an Interim Record of Decision to address contaminated groundwater, soil, and soil vapors more directly. The agency is designing an air and soil vapor extraction system for the source area and plans to sample private properties to determine whether additional mitigation systems are needed there. Human exposure is currently under control, and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water.

The former well field area is now Bay Front Park, and the Little Traverse Wheelway bike path runs through the site. Three on-site businesses are currently operating. Institutional controls limit land uses, such as residential development, that are inconsistent with cleanup goals. The most recent five-year review was completed in March 2025, and the site has not yet been deleted from the National Priorities List. Remedial design work is ongoing as of August 2023.

Community members can review public records at the Petoskey District Library. The City of Petoskey maintains information about Bay Front Park online. For technical questions, residents can contact EPA's Remedial Project Manager or Community Involvement Coordinator directly using the contact information below.