11 houses near landfill test positive for PFAS

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — County officials released groundwater test results for the area around the North Kent Landfill near Rockford Friday. 

According to the Kent County Department of Public Works, 11 of the 41 homes tested in the area have detectable levels of PFAS in their wells. The affected homes are all below the federal guidelines of 70 parts per trillion; the highest registered at 58.6 ppt. 

The department of public works, which runs the landfill on 10 Mile Road just east of US-131 in Plainfield Township, said records show Wolverine Worldwide dumped there from 1980 to 1986.

Map: The area near the North Kent Landfill where county authorities are testing for PFAS contamination in wells.

The tests didn’t indicate a specific source of the PFAS, a likely carcinogen also linked to other illnesses. The county says some of the houses that tested positive were not adjacent to the landfill, while some properties next to the landfill had no detectable PFAS.

“It is difficult at this time to determine where the contamination is coming from, but we want to act in the best interest of our neighbors. We are taking immediate steps to purchase and install whole house filters in eleven houses where PFAS was detected in the water as a precautionary measure,” Director of DPW Dar Baas said in a news release.

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