Butterworth #2 Landfill

Overview

Butterworth #2 Landfill covers 120 acres along the Grand River in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It operated as an open dump and later a sanitary landfill from 1950 to the early 1970s before the state shut it down for improper operations. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List in September 1983. Cleanup is organized into two operable units focused on the landfill cap and sitewide conditions.

The site contains 37 contaminants of concern in soil and groundwater. These include volatile organic compounds such as benzene, trichloroethene, and vinyl chloride. Heavy metals found at the site include arsenic, chromium, lead, manganese, nickel, and zinc. Other contaminants include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated solvents like 1,2-dichloroethane, phthalates, cyanide, and antimony.

EPA selected the cleanup remedy in September 1992. The plan called for an engineered landfill cap, excavation of contaminated material, groundwater and air monitoring, off-gas treatment, and institutional controls. A 1998 Explanation of Significant Differences focused the approach on the engineered cap as the primary remedy. Construction took place in two phases between 1999 and 2000, including installing monitoring wells, capping a combined sewer overflow ditch, placing compacted soil over key areas, and seeding the site. EPA signed the Preliminary Closeout Report in September 2000. Groundwater monitoring will continue for at least 30 years.

Human exposure across the site is currently under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways identified and all cleanup goals for current and anticipated future land uses achieved. EPA does not yet have enough data to determine whether contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized. Five-year reviews confirm the remedy is protective of human health and the environment in the short term. EPA completed its most recent five-year review in September 2024. The site has not yet been deleted from the National Priorities List.

The City of Grand Rapids began planning recreational reuse in 2002. Community meetings in 2005 and 2006 shaped a reuse plan that keeps the cleanup remedy intact. A bike trail was completed in December 2009, and road access for a local marathon was added. Solar energy generation on part of the site has also been explored. As of December 2024, one business operates on site, employing 15 people. Community members can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager for questions or updates about the site.