The Muskegon Chemical Co. site covers 19.6 acres in Whitehall, Michigan, where specialty chemicals have been produced since 1975. A drainage system leak spread hazardous chemicals through soil and groundwater, reaching Mill Pond Creek about half a mile to the southwest. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in February 1990, marking it as a federal Superfund cleanup priority.
Five contaminants of concern were identified in both soil and groundwater within Operable Unit 3 of the site. These are 1,2-dichloroethane, bis(2-chloroethyl)ether, chlorobenzene, tetrachloroethene, and trichloroethene. People could be exposed by ingesting or touching contaminated soil or groundwater.
Cleanup began in the 1990s using several techniques. Workers used soil vapor extraction and air sparging to treat contaminated soil in place, combined with groundwater extraction, air stripping treatment, and reinjection. An engineered cap, monitoring wells, and institutional controls are also part of the remedy. Construction finished in 1997, and operation and maintenance activities continue today. Contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized, and EPA has found no unacceptable discharge to surface water.
In April 2023, EPA and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) completed the sixth five-year review of the site. The review confirmed that the remedy currently protects human health and the environment, with no known exposure pathway to contaminants under existing conditions. To stay protective long-term, the site still needs an evaluation of the vapor intrusion pathway and development of an Institutional Controls Implementation and Assurance Plan. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL, and cleanup goals for current and future land uses have not all been fully achieved.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Remedial Project Manager. State-level questions can be directed to EGLE. More information on the site's potential future reuse is available through the EPA Superfund Redevelopment Program.
