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Manistee Plating (Manistee, Manistee County)

Manistee Plating (Manistee, Manistee County)

Disclaimer: Web content may not be routinely updated on this page.

Please contact the Site Lead for the most up-to-date status of this site.

EGLE site lead

Brandi Wheeler, WheelerB5@Michigan.gov, 231-878-8066.

Background

The Manistee Plating site is located along the north shore of the Manistee River at 259 Sixth Avenue in Manistee. The site is approximately two acres in size and is the former location of a chrome, nickel, and copper plating facility that operated from 1954 to 1992. The site is currently vacant and used as a parking lot. Local residents are on municipal water. The primary impact is on the river.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) conducted a limited cleanup in 1993, and in 1998 the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) installed a treatment system to stop chromium contaminated groundwater from discharging into the Manistee River. Remediation work continued until 2008, and the project was considered closed at that time.

EGLE proactively tested this plating facility for PFAS due to the historical groundwater contamination.

Content posted July 2021.

Manistee Plating Map

Site map

See an aerial view of the location of the site.

Expand the map

Drinking water

The city of Manistee supplies municipal water to the area. EGLE has sampled all municipal water supplies for PFAS. View the results for the city of Manistee here.

Anticipated activities

There are no next steps anticipated.

Historical timeline

  • The Manistee Plating site is located along the north shore of the Manistee River at 259 Sixth Avenue in Manistee. The site is approximately two acres in size and is the former location of a chrome, nickel, and copper plating facility that operated from 1954 to 1992. The site is currently vacant and used as a parking lot.

    When this plating facility was in operation, the items to be plated were hand carried between various vats. This resulted in excess metal solutions dripping onto the floor, and because the floor was constructed of slab wood with open spaces between the planks, eventually into the soil. Plating products and wastes were abandoned at the site after the company ceased operations.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) conducted a limited cleanup in 1993, and in 1998 the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) installed a treatment system to stop chromium contaminated groundwater from discharging into the Manistee River. Remediation work continued until 2008, and the project was considered closed at that time.

    Knowing the types of industries that are likely to contribute to PFAS groundwater contamination, EGLE proactively tested this plating facility for PFAS due to the historical groundwater contamination.

    • In mid-July 2018, EGLE collected 6 samples from existing groundwater monitoring wells on site.
    • In mid-August 2018, EGLE received results from the July 2018 sampling and confirmed groundwater contamination over 70 ppt PFOS+PFOA in three samples. All six samples were over the Rule 57 water quality value of 12 ppt PFOS, which is protective of the discharge of PFOS contaminated groundwater to surface waters, such as the Manistee River. A maximum of 1,700 ppt PFOS was detected.
    • On October 10 and 11, 2018, EGLE conducted a site survey in order to more accurately map groundwater flow in the area.
    • On December 12 and 13, 2018, EGLE's contractor sampled eight groundwater monitoring wells on-site. Six of these eight wells were sampled in July of 2018. Two new wells were discovered during the site survey that took place in October 2018. 
    • In May 2019, EGLE sampled existing site monitoring wells.  A maximum result of 2,400 ppt of PFOS was detected.
    • The site's monitoring wells were sampled again in September of 2019.
    • EGLE received the sampling results on October 17, 2019.  The maximum result was 920 ppt PFOS.
    • In January 2020, EGLE received the final report from the consultants summarizing the data gathered over the past year. 

      • Historical Sampling Chart: Data is reflective of criteria prior to August 3, 2020,  PFOS and PFOA Only

      This chart reflects data received prior to August 3, 2020.

      Type of Sample

      Date Sampled (or Range)

      Number of Samples

      Number of Results Received

      		 Number of Non-Detects  Number Between Non-detect and Standard*  Number Greater Than or Equal to Standard 

      Groundwater

      		July 18, 2018 - September 2019 30 30 0 12 18
       Cumulative   30 30 0 12 18

      *Groundwater results are compared to EGLE Part 201 Criteria of 70 ppt PFOS+PFOA.

      Historical Sampling notes:

      • Other PFAS analytes were detected in samples. There are no federal or state standards for these analytes.
      • Of the 30 samples collected, 28 exceeded the groundwater-surface water criteria of 12 ppt PFOS or 12,000 ppt PFOA  (the relevant criteria for the site).
      • Drinking water is not an applicable pathway at the site.