Environmental health staff seek public hearing to expand groundwater-restricted zone near West Kale Avenue landfill

County environmental health staff recommended expanding the groundwater‑restricted zone around the West Kale Avenue landfill during a March 18 update to the Board of Commissioners.

"What I wanna do is just give a brief update for the West Kale Avenue landfill groundwater restricted zone, a little bit about what that is and, where we're going with it," Environmental Health Division Manager Lucas Pols told the board, describing a process governed by the county sanitary code and federal cleanup requirements.

Pols said the landfill — last accepting waste in 1979 and covering about 87 acres with 65 capped acres — has persistent contamination, most notably 1,4‑dioxane. He said the contaminant is a likely carcinogen and that lowered federal risk calculations have reduced allowable concentrations, requiring re‑evaluation of the zone that prohibits new potable wells.

Pols showed a map of the current restricted footprint — roughly 400 properties — and a proposed expansion affecting 109 additional properties. He said municipal water is available to most of the affected parcels and that, to comply with the sanitary code and protect public safety, municipal connections or replacement wells in a clean aquifer must be offered where feasible.

Pols said the Kalamazoo, Oshtemo Township, Upjohn (now Pfizer) and surrounding stakeholders (the "KLA Group") have offered municipal water and that approximately 83 percent of affected properties already have connected. He also noted a three‑home area along Van Cal where municipal service was not feasible; staff proposed offering replacement wells from a clean aquifer for those properties.

Pols described the procedural timeline: the KLA Group submitted a completed application, the county and third‑party reviewers examined it, and EPA provided a letter of support for the expansion in October 2023. The board was asked to approve a public‑hearing notice for May 7; staff said the KLA Group will respond in writing to hearing comments, the item will return to the Committee of the Whole in June, and the Board of Commissioners could vote on June 17.

Pols and counsel also noted that EPA's five‑year review is ongoing and that more aggressive remediation alternatives (for example, pump‑and‑treat) remain technically possible but would be costly and are not proposed at this time.

Ending: The board set the public hearing notice process in motion; county staff said they will publish the May 7 hearing notices, accept public comment, and return to the board with responses and a recommendation ahead of a June decision.