Ionia City Landfill

Overview

Ionia City Landfill is a closed 20-acre site in Ionia, Michigan, that accepted residential and industrial waste from the mid-1930s through the late 1960s. Industrial drums containing paint wastes and used solvents were buried and often burned on site. State testing found volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in groundwater in 1981, and EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL.

EPA identified 35 contaminants of concern across soil, waste, and groundwater. VOCs include trichloroethene, vinyl chloride, methylene chloride, and benzene. Heavy metals and metalloids found at the site include arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, and selenium. A groundwater plume beneath the former drum disposal area holds high concentrations of vinyl chloride, methylene chloride, and trichloroethene, and the plume extends toward the Grand River, which sits immediately south of the site. A small intermittent stream along the site's eastern boundary has tested positive for VOCs. Surface water and sediment samples from the Grand River show no contamination, and no drinking water supplies are affected.

Cleanup has moved through several stages. EPA removed exposed drums in 1985 and installed a protective clay cap over contaminated soil. A pump-and-treat system ran from 1997 to 2008, pulling contamination from groundwater until levels dropped enough to allow natural attenuation to take over. A 2011 amendment to the groundwater cleanup plan formally shifted the primary remedy to monitored natural attenuation, which relies on natural processes to further reduce remaining contaminants. Institutional controls, including zoning restrictions that prevent residential development, are also in place. EPA's 2020 five-year review confirmed the remedy remains protective of human health and the environment, and a five-year review was completed again in June 2025. Human exposure across the site is currently under control, and contaminated groundwater migration has been stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water.

A third cleanup area, Operable Unit 3, has been identified to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of synthetic chemicals. A combined remedial investigation and feasibility study for PFAS is estimated to begin between June and August 2027. No formal decision document for that unit exists yet.

Community members with questions can contact the EPA staff assigned to the site. Site records are also available for public review at Hall-Fowler Memorial Library at 126 East Main Street in Ionia, Michigan.