Michner Plating - Mechanic Street

Overview

Michner Plating on Mechanic Street is a former metal plating facility that operated in Jackson, Michigan from about 1938 until 2007. The four-acre property sits next to the Grand River in a mixed residential and commercial area. Jackson County has owned the property since 2015, when the company filed for bankruptcy. The site was added to the National Priorities List in March 2022, making it eligible for federal Superfund cleanup funding and oversight.

Contamination at the site includes chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs, a family of industrial solvents), metals, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, a group of synthetic chemicals). These contaminants have affected soil, groundwater, soil gas, surface water, and sediment. One key concern is vapor intrusion, where chemicals in the ground can move upward as vapors and enter nearby buildings. Preliminary sampling results from 2025 and 2026 suggest this could be happening, and EPA plans to test indoor air in neighboring properties during summer 2026 to decide whether vapor venting systems or other protective measures are needed.

EPA has already taken several removal actions at the site. In 2015 and 2016, workers pulled out roughly 1,100 drums and hundreds of 55-gallon totes left behind after the facility closed. Buried drums still remain beneath the building slab. A first removal phase was completed in June 2016, and additional removal work is scheduled for May 2025 and from September 2025 through February 2026. In 2025, EPA also removed asbestos-containing roofing tiles and installed a new fence. After a fire at the site in July 2025, EPA and state partners checked the building and the nearby Grand River and found no evidence that contaminated material entered the river.

The site is currently in a combined remedial investigation and feasibility study, which began in September 2023. EPA is using ground-penetrating radar to locate underground features, installing and improving monitoring wells, and collecting samples across multiple media to map contamination. Human exposure and groundwater migration both currently have insufficient data to determine whether they are under control. A cleanup remedy is estimated to be selected between May and July 2027, with remedial design work expected to start between November 2027 and January 2028.

Community members can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager with questions. Sampling results will be made public once the investigation is complete.