Northernaire Plating

Overview

Northernaire Plating is a 13-acre former electroplating facility in an industrial park in Cadillac, Michigan. It operated from 1971 to 1981, doing custom chromium and nickel-plating work on metal parts. Improper waste handling and faulty sewer systems released hexavalent chromium into the soil and groundwater. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List on September 8, 1983.

EPA has identified 18 contaminants of concern at the site. Groundwater contains solvents and other chemicals including trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, dichloromethane, chloroform, toluene, xylene, acetone, cyanide, and several other chlorinated compounds. Soil, sediment, and debris contain cadmium and chromium. Chromium is also present in the groundwater.

Cleanup work was organized into three areas: sitewide activities, source control, and groundwater. A removal action in July 1983 containerized and removed waste, decontaminated building interiors, removed liquid and sludge from process tanks, and excavated a contaminated sewer line. Source control remedial action ran from June 1987 through May 1991, using excavation and offsite disposal. A groundwater pump and treat system, using carbon adsorption and air stripping, was installed under EPA oversight with construction completed on September 23, 1996. In August 2020, EPA and EGLE, Michigan's environmental agency, confirmed the hexavalent chromium treatment system could be discontinued. A 2010 Five Year Review documented that long-term remedial action goals were met. The site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status on January 31, 2008, and a trucking company currently owns and operates the facility. EPA is working to delete the site from the National Priorities List.

One active community concern involves PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. In late 2024 and early 2025, the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team sampled residential wells near the Cadillac Industrial Park and found PFAS above Michigan Drinking Water Criteria in some private wells. The local health department offered filters to affected residents. Current groundwater monitoring and flow data indicate Northernaire Plating is not the source of this PFAS contamination. Starting in fall 2025, EPA and the Cadillac Local Development Finance Authority plan to sample monitoring wells at the site for volatile organic compounds, hexavalent chromium, and PFAS to confirm that finding. Residents can find more information on EGLE's webpage about residential well sampling in the Cadillac Area of Interest, and a multi-agency FAQ document addresses community questions about the industrial park area.

Community members with questions about the site can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager directly. Records related to EPA Superfund work at the site are available for public review at the Cadillac-Wexford Library at 411 South Lake Street in Cadillac, Michigan.