Clare Water Supply

Overview

The Clare Water Supply site covers downtown Clare, Michigan, including the city's Municipal Wellfield. Two of four municipal wells were contaminated by chlorinated hydrocarbons and fuel compounds traced to an adjacent industrial park. Sources included leaking underground storage tanks, waste piles, sludge lagoons, and vapor degreasers. The site was added to the EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1984 and remains on that list today.

Contaminants found in soil and groundwater include trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, vinyl chloride, dichloroethene, dichloroethane, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, styrene, and MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether). EPA has identified 21 chemicals of concern in total. All pose unacceptable risks to human health or the environment based on the amounts present and the potential for exposure.

Cleanup is organized into two operable units (OUs). OU1 is an interim air stripping action that began operating in early 1991 and has kept the public water supply safe ever since. OU2 addresses soil and groundwater more broadly using pump-and-treat systems, soil vapor extraction, engineered caps, permeable reactive barriers, carbon adsorption, and excavation. The remedy evolved through several decision documents between 1992 and 2004 as new contamination hotspots were found and new technologies became available. Physical construction across the entire site was completed on March 30, 1999. Current protections include continuous pumping and treatment of the public water aquifer, groundwater monitoring, and institutional controls. Zoning restrictions block residential uses that are not consistent with cleanup levels. As of December 2024, 67 businesses at the site employed 393 people and generated an estimated $57.4 million in annual sales revenue.

EPA's most recent five-year review, completed September 23, 2021, concluded that response actions continue to protect human health and the environment in the short term. Human exposure and groundwater migration are both considered under control. The site is not yet sitewide ready for anticipated reuse, meaning at least one readiness criterion has not been met. The next five-year review is estimated between September and November 2026.

Community members can share observations about site conditions or raise concerns as part of the ongoing review process. Public records related to Superfund work are available at the Pere Marquette District Library at 185 East Fourth Street in Clare, Michigan. For questions or to provide input, contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.