Lisa Cruz, a remediation and redevelopment regional lead with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), told the Alpena City Council on Monday that state sampling and data provided by the former Decorative Panels International (DPI) site show detections of PFAS in groundwater and in onsite lagoons.

Cruz said DPI, at 416 Ford Avenue, historically housed a particle-board manufacturing plant and closed in early 2024. EGLE received an anonymous complaint in August 2024 that prompted a site walk; inspectors observed a fire-suppression system connected to a tank of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a common PFAS source. Cruz said DPI is listed as site 299 in the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) inventory.

The state compared six groundwater samples taken from the property to Michigangroundwater criteria for PFOA and other PFAS. "Of those six groundwater samples, four of those samples were above criteria for PFOA," Cruz said. The highest PFOA result reported by Cruz was 14.9 parts per trillion (ppt), compared with Michiganstate criteria of 8 ppt for PFOA. Cruz said those higher detections were mainly within the building footprint; samples taken closer to Ford Avenue had lower detections below state criteria.

Cruz also reported PFAS detections in three onsite lagoons (east, north and south). She said the lagoons had detections of PFOA, PFNA and PFOS above Michigan drinking-water criteria and that additional groundwater monitoring wells placed nearer the lagoons showed PFOA in the mid-20s to mid-30s ppt. Cruz said those lagoon basins are clay-lined and remain holding water. "There were detections in all of the lagoons and above drinking-water criteria," she said.

Cruz emphasized the difference between cleanup and drinking-water standards and noted that not every PFAS compound has a state cleanup number. She also said EGLE is prioritizing sampling and investigation where the most concerning exposure pathway is present: drinking water.

"The City of Alpena's municipal water serves the surrounding area," Cruz told the council. "All of the past results show that PFAS has been nondetect in the City of Alpena's municipal water supply." She added that there are no noncommunity systems in the area conducting PFAS compliance monitoring because the area is served by the municipal system.

Cruz outlined next steps and regulatory roles: EGLE's Remediation and Redevelopment Division is requiring the responsible party to submit a plan to delineate the extent of contamination in soil and groundwater; the Water Resources Division is managing sampling and permits for discharges and recently received analytical data for the lagoons; and Air Quality Division staff are also involved. Cruz said the state has submitted a targeted request for surface-water and fish sampling in Lake Huron and the nearby Thunder Bay River.

On liability and reuse, Cruz said the legal obligation to address contamination stays with the responsible party. "I would like to reiterate that the responsible party or the liable party remains liable for environmental contamination following the sale of the property," she said. Cruz added that a prospective new owner who submits a baseline environmental assessment to the state under the statutory procedure can be protected from financial liability but still must meet due-care obligations and not make contamination worse.

Council members and residents asked technical and practical questions about remediation options, disposal of PFAS-containing materials, how lagoons could be managed or closed, and likely timelines and costs. Cruz described remediation options commonly considered in feasibility studies (excavation, capping, injection of reactive material, carbon filtration for water) and said the choice depends on the specific chemicals, concentrations and the extent of contamination. She noted sediment results for the lagoons were below laboratory reporting limits but surface-water samples from the lagoons had PFAS detections.

Cruz closed by pointing council members and the public to MPART and a Citizens Advisory Work Group for community engagement. She said the DPI site page and statewide MPART data would be posted on the state PFAS response website the next day and that she would remain available for questions.

Why this matters: DPI sits near shallow groundwater with flow toward Lake Huron and the Thunder Bay River. State officials described detections above protective drinking-water criteria in onsite features and the need for further work to define risks and remedial options. The City of Alpena's municipal system has shown nondetects in prior monitoring, but the state has requested additional surface-water and fish sampling in the immediate area.

Local QA and follow-up: Council members pressed EGLE on how remediation choices would affect future waterfront redevelopment and whether lagoons could be emptied and closed under state rules; Cruz said those steps are governed by Water Resources Division and other regulatory programs and depend on the chosen future use and results of a delineation plan.

The council did not take a cleanup action at the meeting but received the presentation and asked staff to keep monitoring updates coming.