State agencies: Faulk Road landfill produced only limited, low‑mass PFAS detections; village to continue monitoring

Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) staff and contractor WSP presented results of a multi‑year PFAS investigation at the former Faulk Road Landfill (FFRD) near Holly during a community meeting. The agencies said PFAS were detected in a small number of monitoring and private wells but that the pattern and magnitudes indicate a limited, low‑mass source confined largely to a shallow perched clay lens near the landfill.

WSP hydrogeologist Len Manowski said investigators collected groundwater, surface water and sediment samples, installed six new monitoring wells and performed vertical aquifer profiling to understand how PFAS move beneath the site. “The FFRD does not appear to be a significant ongoing source of PFAS or related impacts to groundwater,” Manowski said, summarizing the technical team's interpretation.

The agencies reported three PFAS analytes exceeded EGLE screening criteria at isolated locations: PFOS, PFOA and PFNA. The highest on‑site PFOS concentration reported was about 55 parts per trillion (ppt), which EGLE and WSP said is an exceedance of Michigan drinking‑water guidance but is modest compared with concentrations seen at sites linked to firefighting foam or industrial releases. WSP noted that many PFAS sites show concentrations in the parts‑per‑billion range or higher; the Faulk Road values are two to three orders of magnitude lower than major sources.

Rachel Higgins, toxicologist with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), reviewed health context and exposure routes, emphasizing that ingestion — chiefly from drinking water and contaminated food — is the primary concern. MDHHS recommended that residents follow Michigan’s fish advisories for nearby Rice Lake and Bush Lake and noted that more than 99 percent of U.S. adults have detectable PFAS in blood serum, underscoring the chemicals’ ubiquity.

Residential sampling history presented at the meeting: in 2021 EGLE/EMPART sampled 13 private wells (12 non‑detect, one exceedance); 2022 resampling of 12 wells again found a single exceedance at the same address; and 2024 expanded sampling included 22 wells (19 non‑detect, three low‑level detections below Michigan criteria). Houses with detections or exceedances were offered PFAS‑reducing certified filters, MDHHS and EGLE said.

Investigators stressed method and detection‑limit changes across years: laboratories added analytes and lowered reporting limits in recent rounds, so some later low‑level detections reflect improved analytical sensitivity rather than new, large releases. WSP’s groundwater modeling — which used a 3‑D geologic framework derived from more than 1,300 well and boring logs and included conservative pumping scenarios for the nearby Holly Hills public well — consistently routed flow from the landfill toward Rice Lake and predicted the Holly Hills type‑1 well would not draw contamination from the site under modeled scenarios.

Oakland County Health Division reported it has sampled about 25 private addresses for PFAS in the area (22 of those in 2024); four addresses had any detection and one address had an exceedance of the state drinking‑water criterion. County health officials said they continue broader monitoring for volatile organics and metals around the landfill as part of routine oversight.

Community members asked about independent private tests and symptoms they associated with water use; officials encouraged residents to submit independent laboratory results to the agencies for evaluation. Investigators advised that reverse‑osmosis treatment can remove PFAS from drinking water if the system is certified for PFAS removal and properly maintained. The agencies estimated the supplemental investigation cost approximately $400,000.

EGLE and WSP recommended continued institutional controls and annual groundwater and surface‑water monitoring; the village will assume long‑term monitoring, maintain perimeter fencing and manage land‑use restrictions under due‑care obligations. The full technical report and slides are available on EGLE’s website, and agencies asked residents to share any independent sampling data for further evaluation.

What happens next: the village will maintain site controls and conduct annual monitoring; MDHHS and Oakland County will continue public‑health follow‑up for affected households; EGLE asked residents with independent test results to submit them for review. The report and contact information are posted on EGLE’s site for follow‑up.