CADILLAC — It all started when EGLE and the EPA warned the City of Cadillac they’d have to test for PFAS when they shut down a plating company in the area.
PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” are linked to cancer, thyroid disease, liver damage, decreased infertility and hormone disruption.
The groundwater cleanup system was designed to treat TCE and hexavalent plume in the 1990s, according to the City’s original record of the decision. There was no mention of PFAS in the document, but the State of Michigan then said the site would be an orphan site and the City would be liable for cleanup.
However, the EPA would not say whether it was an orphan site or not, and the City declined to investigate the chemicals because the “infrastructure in place was not designed for it.” The City said their cleanup process met its goal and will come to an end.
City of Cadillac Utilities Director Jeff Dietlin said, “That’s not what that was designed for. If they want to find it and they want to make the responsible parties clean it up, I’m fine with that. Obviously, I’m an environmentalist. I want the environment to be clean, but I don’t want my current people to have to sign on for more treatment that they didn’t know they had way back in the day.”
The City said they do not anticipate the EPA will find PFAS in the area.
