Thermo-Chem, Inc.

Overview

The Thermo-Chem, Inc. site covers 50 acres in Egelston Township, near Muskegon, Michigan. It once housed waste solvent reprocessing and storage facilities. EPA added it to the National Priorities List (NPL) in June 1986. The NPL is the federal list of the most contaminated sites in the country. The site is now in the operations and maintenance phase, meaning physical construction of the cleanup is finished but monitoring and controls continue.

Soil and groundwater at the site are contaminated with 43 chemicals of concern. Chlorinated solvents in groundwater include trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and vinyl chloride. Soil contains benzene, toluene, xylenes, naphthalene, and heavy metals such as arsenic and chromium. Additional groundwater contaminants include acetone, styrene, aluminum, iron, zinc, and cyanide. Contamination extends from the facility to a nearby creek.

The potentially responsible parties carried out cleanup work between 1995 and 2002. Actions included soil excavation, structure removal, groundwater extraction, air stripping, and carbon adsorption. In 2012, a dechlorination system was added to break down volatile organic compounds in soil. EPA's 2020 Five-Year Review found the remedy protects human health and the environment in the short term. Human exposure is currently under control across the entire site, and groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. All cleanup goals have been met for current and anticipated future land uses. Institutional controls, which are legal restrictions that prevent uses like residential development, are in place across the site. The site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status on September 30, 2022, and has not yet been deleted from the NPL.

EPA completed the fifth Five-Year Review on July 23, 2025. The 2020 review had recommended that responsible parties update the groundwater monitoring plan, sample for PFAS, PFOA, and 1,4-dioxane, and ensure institutional controls cover all parcels. The site is divided into three operable units. Operable Unit 1 covers the facility and the area to the creek. Operable Unit 2 addresses groundwater and creek contamination but does not yet have a decision document.

Community members who want to learn more or share input can contact the EPA's Remedial Project Manager or Community Involvement Coordinator. Public records about the site are available at two local repositories: Hackley Library at 316 W. Webster Street in Muskegon, and Egelston Township Hall at 5382 E. Apple Ave. in Muskegon.