An official website of the United States government.

This is not the current EPA website. To navigate to the current EPA website, please go to www.epa.gov. This website is historical material reflecting the EPA website as it existed on January 19, 2021. This website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work. More information »

News Releases

News Releases from Region 05

EPA Issues Interim Cleanup Decision for Charlevoix Municipal Well Superfund Site in Michigan

05/20/2020
Contact Information: 
Francisco Arcaute (arcaute.francisco@epa.gov)
312-886-7613, 312-898-2042 cell

For Immediate Release No. 20-OPA-033

CHARLEVOIX, Mich. (May 20, 2020) --The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced its interim Record of Decision (ROD) to clean up groundwater, soil, and soil gas contamination and resolve vapor intrusion issues at the Charlevoix Municipal Well Superfund Site. Volatile organic compounds from local industrial facilities and commercial operations may have contaminated the soil and groundwater at the site.

“EPA is working closely with the State of Michigan, the City of Charlevoix and the local health agency to continue to clean up the site and protect public health,” said EPA Regional Administrator Kurt Thiede. “EPA engaged with the people of Charlevoix and considered their input as we made our decision on interim cleanup measures.”

EPA’s interim remedy requires soil excavation, groundwater chemical treatment, air sparging/soil vapor extraction, vapor mitigation and institutional controls.

Soil and groundwater at the site are contaminated with volatile organic compounds including trichloroethylene, or TCE, and tetrachloroethylene, or PCE. The vapors from these compounds can move through soil, accumulate under buildings and enter through cracks or holes in foundations. The municipal drinking water is not affected by contamination at the site.

For more information on EPA’s 2020 ROD for the Charlevoix site, visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/charlevoix-muni-wells

###