Forest Waste Products

Overview

The Forest Waste Products site covers 120 acres in Forest Township, Otisville, Michigan. It includes an 11-acre landfill that operated from 1973 to 1978 and nine former lagoons. The site was added to the National Priorities List in September 1983. Cleanup has been underway across multiple areas since the mid-1980s.

Contamination is spread across soil and groundwater. The lagoons area contained metals such as arsenic, lead, chromium, cadmium, and mercury, along with organic chemicals including benzene, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The landfill and groundwater area is contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, vinyl chloride, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, benzene, and various metals and pesticides. In total, EPA has identified over 130 chemicals of concern at the site.

The former lagoons were cleaned up by December 1990. The landfill was capped in 1997. Groundwater monitoring has continued since 1993 and showed contamination spreading north and west of the landfill. In 2015, EPA sampled 15 residential wells after detecting low levels of 1,4-dioxane moving toward homes. Six wells at depths of 30 to 50 feet tested positive for 1,4-dioxane, though concentrations were below state drinking water standards. The responsible parties voluntarily offered deeper replacement wells drilled into uncontaminated bedrock, and five properties have received them. A groundwater investigation completed in spring 2025 mapped the full extent of 1,4-dioxane contamination. The responsible parties are now finalizing a Focused Feasibility Study to evaluate cleanup options for groundwater migrating from the landfill. A feasibility study is expected to finish between July and September 2026, and a record of decision amendment is planned for the same period.

Human exposure is currently under control, meaning no unacceptable pathways for people to contact contamination have been found. However, groundwater migration is not yet under control. The site has not been deleted from the National Priorities List and has not achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status. The most recent five-year review was completed in September 2022, and the next is estimated for late 2027.

Community members can get involved directly. EPA is proposing an interim remedy to stop contaminated groundwater from migrating off-site. A public meeting was held on May 20, 2026 at Forest Township Hall, 130 East Main Street, Otisville, Michigan. Public comments will be accepted from May 11 to July 10, 2026. Residents with questions can also contact the EPA staff assigned to the site.