WOOD-TV Channel 8 today is reporting the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) is investigating elevated levels of PFAS at Wayland Recycling Inc. at 763 West Elm St.  

MPART said in a press release that groundwater tests from 2021 found levels of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) at 40 parts per trillion, higher than the state safety standard, 16 ppt. Perfluorohexane sulfonate was shown to have at 80 ppt, above the 51 ppt standard.

Wayland Recycling, Inc., which occupies about one acre of land previously was owned by Wayland Development, Inc., and operated as a waste oil treatment and used oil filter recycling facility. Waste oil was placed into several underground and above ground storage tanks.

Because of spills and leaks from some of the tanks on site in the past, groundwater sampling was done and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, and metals were detected.

WOOD-TV also reported that test results found detectable levels of “volatile organic compounds,” heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls.

Groundwater at the site flows to the southwest toward the Rabbit River.

The City of Wayland has a municipal water system, but one residential well and one irrigation well is in the vicinity of the site. Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) will conduct further site investigations to try to determine the extent of PFAS contamination.

City Manager Josh Eggleston said, “I was on a call last week regarding the matter with the health department and EGLE. At this point, there seems to be no concern regarding the city or its water supply. This was a clean-up site from 2018-2019. Any subsequent cleanups completed here will be under the supervision of EGLE and they will notify the city if and when there are concerns.”

MPART was established in 2017 to deal with the threat of PFAS contamination in Michigan, protect public health, and ensure the safety of Michigan’s land, air, and water, while facilitating inter-agency coordination, increasing transparency, and requiring clear standards to ensure accountability.