Sampling Update Archives - We Are Wolverine

Wolverine Worldwide Submits Reports of 2018 Testing at Former Tannery and House Street Sites; Provides Additional Details on Tannery Filtration System

Testing Reports

Wolverine Worldwide has been working diligently with regulators over the past 24 months to conduct testing and collect data from our former Tannery and House Street sites. We shared preliminary results from the Tannery in November 2017, and from House Street in May 2018. We announced plans to conduct additional testing at these sites in May 2018 and June 2018.

Wolverine operated the Tannery in Rockford from the early 1890s until it was closed in 2009, then decommissioned, demolished, and tested under EPA and MDEQ supervision. For a period of time while the Tannery was in operation, certain leather was treated with Scotchgard™, which 3M developed and profited from by selling it to Wolverine and millions of others. House Street was a state-licensed and regulated disposal site where byproducts from Wolverine’s tannery operations were disposed of during the 1960s and beginning of 1970.

The additional testing completed at these two locations in 2018 was extensive, and included more than 1,700 groundwater, surface water, sediment, soil, and vapor gas samples, along with the installation of 107 monitoring wells and almost 800 soil borings. Substances tested for included PFOA, PFOS, and other PFAS compounds, along with metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and organic compounds.

The work completed is depicted on these maps, and work at the former Tannery is described in this detailed Summary Report we submitted to the EPA in January 2019. We submitted a similar report to the EPA regarding 2018 testing at House Street, and we will release that report once the EPA has completed its review.

The results of the extensive groundwater testing at the former Tannery were largely consistent with those received in earlier testing and, as a reminder, this groundwater is not used for drinking water. A few locations had elevated levels of certain compounds in soils below the surface, and Wolverine has proposed to remove those soils and to also take the following actions that are under review by the EPA:

Kayak Launch Area: The installation of a protective matting in the area around the boat launch where the public may walk in the water during boat launch or removal. Once the matting is installed, it will be covered with gravel similar to the gravel currently installed at the boat launch near the water line.
Rum Creek Access Area: Install a fence between the river and the White Pine Trail to minimize access to this area while the investigation continues.
Lead and Chromium: Continue testing to identify and locate the extent of these materials and excavate those materials where necessary.

Rogue River Tannery Filtration System

We also wanted to provide an update to the community on the filtration system we announced last year to intercept and treat groundwater from the former Tannery before it reaches the Rogue River. We took the initiative to develop and implement a solution to remove PFOA and PFOS (two of the chemicals from 3M’s Scotchgard product), as well as a range of other substances from groundwater at the former Tannery because the Rogue River is important to Wolverine, and we know how important it is to the community.

Currently, we are completing the design and engineering of the system. Earlier this year, we drilled three extraction wells in the locations shown on this map, which will be used in the system to intercept groundwater from the former Tannery site and divert it to a filtration system.

Over the next few months, we will be installing and testing the filtration equipment, which will remove PFOA, PFOS, a range of other PFAS compounds, metals, VOCs, SVOCs, and organic compounds. We expect the system will be installed and ready to begin operating by Fall of this year. Wolverine will regularly monitor its effectiveness and provide additional details as they become available.

All of these efforts represent additional examples of Wolverine’s commitment to working proactively and aggressively to address groundwater issues in the area, and to doing its part to address them. Residents with questions are encouraged to visit our blog at www.WeAreWolverine.com, or to contact us directly at (616) 866-5627 or HouseStreet@wwwinc.com.

Additional Testing to Begin at Former Tannery Site

Consistent with this commitment, we want to tell you about additional groundwater, surface water, sediment and soil sampling that will take place over the next few months at our former tannery in Rockford. Wolverine operated the tannery from the early 1900s until it was closed in 2009, then decommissioned beginning in 2010 under agency supervision.

Wolverine has already conducted testing at the former tannery site, including many soil samples, drilling 42 on-site monitoring wells, and taking more than 165 groundwater samples from the monitoring wells. Wolverine reported preliminary results from this earlier testing in our blog in November.

The upcoming work is being performed by Wolverine and its consultants pursuant to work plans submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).

Work kicked off this week with site preparation activities and will take place primarily over the next three months, with a second round of testing this fall. The work will be overseen by the EPA and MDEQ. We anticipate that approximately 100 soil samples, 100 groundwater samples, 14 surface water samples and 35 to 70 sediment samples will be taken and assessed for organic compounds, metals, PFAS, and other compounds. Up to 10 additional monitoring wells may also be added to the site.

Over the next three months, you may see trucks, work crews, warning signs and equipment at the site, which will be fenced off for the duration of the work. There will also be some work in the White Pine Trail for approximately a week. We will attempt to complete this work with as little disruption as possible.

In addition, even while testing is still taking place, Wolverine is already moving forward with a plan announced earlier this month to intercept and treat groundwater from the former Tannery site that contains PFOA/PFOS to prevent it from reaching Rum Creek or the Rogue River. Wolverine expects that the interception and treatment of groundwater at the former tannery site will help reduce PFOA/PFOS levels and is working with MDEQ to develop that plan.

The efforts announced today are examples of Wolverine’s commitment to work diligently with regulators, our neighbors and the surrounding community to address groundwater issues. Residents with questions or concerns are encouraged to visit our blog at www.WeAreWolverine.com, or to contact the Company directly at 616.866.5627 or HouseStreet@wwwinc.com.

Additional Testing to Begin at Former House Street Disposal Area

Wolverine Worldwide has been working diligently with regulators to collect data and develop long-term water solutions for our community, and we promised to keep you informed about our ongoing efforts. Consistent with this commitment, we want to tell you about additional groundwater and soil sampling that will be taking place over the next few months at our former state-licensed House Street disposal area. This was a location where byproducts from Wolverine’s leather tanning operations were disposed of during the 1960s and until 1970.

Wolverine has already conducted extensive testing at the House Street disposal area, including many waste and soil samples, drilling 12 on-site monitoring wells, drilling 18 off-site monitoring wells, and taking more than 25 groundwater samples from the monitoring wells. Wolverine posted preliminary results from this earlier testing on its blog.

The upcoming work is being performed by Wolverine and its consultants pursuant to work plans that were submitted by Wolverine and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). It will kick off this week with site preparation activities, and take place primarily over the next two months with a second round of testing this fall. The work will be overseen by the EPA and the MDEQ, and we anticipate that as many as 250 soil samples, 50 groundwater samples, and also soil gas samples will be taken and assessed for organic compounds, metals, PFAS, and other compounds.

Residents near the House Street site have been notified about this work, and over this time you may see trucks, work crews, warning signs and equipment at the House Street site. We will attempt to complete this work with as little impact on and disruption to the surrounding neighbors as possible.

The upcoming testing is another example of the Company’s commitment to work diligently with regulators and the community to address groundwater issues. We anticipate implementing a work plan at Wolverine’s former tannery site this summer as well, and will share additional details about that work on this blog as they are available. Residents with questions or concerns are encouraged to visit our blog at www.WeAreWolverine.com, or to contact the Company directly at 616.866.5627 or HouseStreet@wwwinc.com.

Wolverine Worldwide Releases Preliminary Testing on House Street Disposal Area

Wolverine Worldwide has been working diligently with regulators to collect data and develop long-term water solutions for our community and we have promised to keep you informed about our ongoing efforts.

Over the past year, Wolverine has conducted extensive testing at its former House Street disposal area in Plainfield Township, a state-licensed disposal site where waste from Wolverine’s leather tanning operations was disposed of during the 1960’s and until 1970. This testing included taking many waste and soil samples, drilling 12 on-site monitoring wells, drilling 18 off-site monitoring wells, and taking more than 25 groundwater samples from the monitoring wells.

In February, Wolverine submitted a report to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) including preliminary findings from this testing. The report Wolverine submitted, known as a “Conceptual Site Model” or “CSM,” provides an analysis of the compounds present in the waste, soil, and groundwater samples taken at the House Street site. To date, this testing suggests that with the exception of PFAS compounds like PFOA and PFOS, metals and compounds in tannery waste disposed of at the House Street site are not migrating into soil or groundwater at unacceptable levels.

As noted by Mark Westra of Rose & Westra, a division of GZA, “Sampling performed for the Conceptual Site Model identified tannery waste as expected, containing copper, lead, chromium, mercury, zinc, PFOA, PFOS and other compounds. While additional investigation is pending, soil samples collected underneath the waste to date did not contain any non-PFAS compounds at concentrations greater than Michigan’s generic cleanup criteria for soil, suggesting that the non-PFAS compounds are not leaching significantly from the waste. In addition, materials typically associated with tanning operations, such as chromium, were not detected in groundwater at the House Street site.”

In addition to the testing Wolverine has done at the House Street disposal area, MDEQ has tested groundwater at surrounding properties for metals and other non-PFAS compounds, and received no results above state and/or federal guidelines. This is further evidence that, with the exception of PFAS compounds, tannery waste does not pose a threat to area groundwater, health or the environment.

We will continue working with EPA and MDEQ to analyze this data, and will be collecting additional data in the coming months pursuant to a work plan Wolverine proposed that is currently being reviewed by EPA. We anticipate providing information about the upcoming work on this blog within the next couple of days.

Also, now that MDEQ has completed its analysis and redacted personal information, the preliminary House Street CSM can be found here.

All of these actions announced today underscore how seriously Wolverine is taking this issue and our continued commitment to see it through the end. Residents with questions or concerns are encouraged to contact the Company directly at 616.866.5627 or HouseStreet@wwwinc.com.