- Michner Plating's toxic legacy has made the list of our nation's most polluted sites, qualifying it for federal clean-up funding.
- EPA officials were in Jackson Thursday to brief neighbors about the site and what's being done to clean it up.
- Video shows old Michner Plating plant, EPA briefing, EPA officials.
Michner Plating on Mechanic Street — an industrial sites so contaminated the Federal Government is stepping in. Environmental Protection Agency officials briefed us Thursday about what has been, and still needs to be done.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Michner Plating — they made old seat belt buckles so shiny.
It also must have made heads spin when Jackson County took possession of the building in 2015 due to unpaid taxes … and discovered more than a thousand drums of toxic chemicals.
"So, EPA conducted a removal action to remove those drums from the site, and EGLE began the process of doing some initial soil and groundwater sampling of the site," said EPA Remedial Project Manager Rose Guardino.
The tests turned up all sorts of contamination.
"Chlorinated volatile organic compounds, metals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS…"
In 2022, Michner Plating was added to the EPA's National Priorities List, making it eligible for federal clean-up funding.
This site is so toxic right now that, according to owner of a nearby Leimenstoll Services, Rob Leimenstoll, the Fire Department has told him if this building catches fire, firefighters have been told not to douse the fire so as not to create run-off into the Grand River.
At Thursday's meeting we learned the EPA's efforts are now in what's called the "remedial investigation" phase — to determine more specifically what contaminants are present, so a clean-up plan could be made.
Some in attendance were surprised the process is taking so long.
"You're waiting ten years to see what the research shows is the impact on the community. And — I don't know — I feel like that should really be addressed when you're doing a community forum," said neighbor Andrea Ericksen.
EPA representatives reminded participants that federal funding was made available for this clean-up only in 2022...after Michner Plating was added to the Agency's National Priorities List.
Comprehensive testing will begin this fall.
CLICK HERE TO READ WHAT THE EPA HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE MICHNER PLATING SITE.
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