Motor Wheel, Inc. is a 24-acre Superfund site in Lansing Township, Michigan, where industrial waste was disposed of from 1938 to 1971. That disposal contaminated soil, groundwater, and sediment. The site was added to the National Priorities List on June 10, 1986, which directed EPA to investigate and clean it up.
Eleven contaminants of concern have been identified at the site. Soil contaminants include arsenic, dieldrin, heptachlor, PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), and p,p'-DDT. Groundwater contaminants include vinyl chloride, fluoride, tetrachloroethene, toluene, trichloroethene, and xylene. The groundwater plume extends about 1.5 miles south of the original disposal area.
The final cleanup remedy was selected in September 1991. Construction ran from June 1997 and was completed by December 18, 1997, with additional work continuing through 2012. The remedy includes a cap over the waste disposal area, a slurry wall, and a groundwater extraction and treatment system that uses air stripping, filtration, carbon adsorption, an aeration basin, and a clarification system. Zoning restrictions prevent residential use and other unsafe land uses. Long-term response actions have been running since June 2004. A partial deletion from the National Priorities List was approved in August 2000, though the site has not been fully deleted.
Human exposure is currently under control, and groundwater migration is stabilized. EPA's most recent five-year review, conducted in July 2022, confirmed the remedy protects human health and the environment in the short term. The next five-year review is scheduled between July and September 2027. The site is estimated to be ready for full anticipated reuse between December 2027 and February 2028, once remaining cleanup goals and land-use restrictions are fully in place.
Community members can get involved by contacting the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator. Site records are also available for public review at the CADL Downtown Lansing Library at 401 S. Capitol Ave., or by calling (517) 367-6363.
