H. Brown Co., Inc.

Overview

The H. Brown Co., Inc. site sits on a roughly 3.5- to 4-acre property in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, where a metals reclamation and battery recycling operation ran from 1961 until the early 1980s. Before that, the land was used as an uncontrolled municipal waste disposal landfill. Between 1961 and 1978, operators drained battery acid, estimated at 170,000 to 460,000 gallons, directly onto the ground. That practice contaminated soil and groundwater with lead, chromium, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and more than 130 other chemical substances. Organic compounds including benzene, toluene, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are also present, along with pesticides like dieldrin and DDT, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), and phthalate compounds. These contaminants affect soil, groundwater, surface water, and solid waste across the site.

EPA (the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) placed the site on the National Priorities List in 1986. Responsible parties were required by administrative orders and consent decrees, issued between 1991 and 1999, to carry out cleanup work. A final remedy was selected in 1992 and later amended twice. The physical cleanup, completed between 1998 and 2000, involved building three warehouse foundations, asphalt parking areas, and landscaped spaces to serve as a protective cover system. That approach contains the contamination rather than removing it, so ongoing groundwater monitoring and land-use restrictions are required to keep the remedy working. The site has two operable units. Operable Unit 1 covers the final remedy area and construction is complete. Operable Unit 2 addresses groundwater and surface water, and a combined remedial investigation and feasibility study is estimated to begin between March and May 2028.

Human exposure at the site is currently under control, and contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. In 1998, a developer purchased the site through a Prospective Purchaser Agreement with EPA and built a warehouse and light industrial complex. As of December 2024, six businesses at the site employed 165 people and generated roughly $80.2 million in annual sales revenue.

EPA completed its most recent five-year review on September 11, 2024. That review confirmed the remedy continues to protect public health and the environment in the short term, provided institutional controls are maintained. The site has not yet been deleted from the National Priorities List. Community members can share information or concerns about site conditions with EPA contacts during the five-year review process. The Community Involvement Coordinator and Remedial Project Manager are the main points of contact for questions about the site.