WALKER, Mich. -- State investigators are trying to determine how much PFAS contamination is located near Johnson Park in Walker.
The inspection site is along the Grand River near Wilson Avenue and M-11, just west of the I-196 interchange at 28th Street. New Era Properties is the location of the former Fenske Landfill and a closed Hazardous Waste Pile.
Spokesman Scott Dean with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE) told WOOD Radio they detected PFAS in a gas-vent well.
"And so, we're now in the process of doing some additional sampling. We're trying to determine if it's having any impact on the Grand River," he said in a phone interview.
The former landfill accepted industrial waste and other materials until new regulations prohibited it in the late 1970s.
Besides the river, EGLE is examining a nearby residential drinking-water well on the periphery of the old landfill site.
"We'll remain committed to fully investigating the site to determine if any further actions are needed," Dean said.
He added that EGLE expects to get some results from the sampling later this spring. It first has to get permission to take samples from the well. Dean said it is fortunate that there are few homes in that area. There is a lot of sand and wetlands in that area.
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