Beginning this week, Wolverine will be sampling approximately 175 wells for PFAS in the vicinity of Wolven Avenue between 10 Mile and 11 Mile Roads. The sampling will be conducted by Rose & Westra/GZA, Wolverine’s environmental engineers.
This sampling is being conducted because the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) received reports that liquid tannery byproducts were used by a few farmers in this area in the 1950s or 1960s. Reports indicate that these farmers applied the byproducts to their fields, and that they valued the lime content in particular as a fertilizer. According to experts, soil that has been amended with liquid tannery byproducts poses no health impacts to humans or animals, including vegetation that may have been grown in this type of soil.
Wolverine began notifying homeowners on November 13, 2017, and sampling is expected to begin later this week. All homeowners in this area are being provided with bottled water while waiting for their results, which we expect to be available within four weeks after sampling.
Wolverine continues to work with the MDEQ to identify and test possible sites. Every resident whose water is being tested has a water solution until they have answers. While the science is not conclusive, we’re working proactively to develop solutions, share information with you, and restore our community’s confidence in its drinking water.