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Harbor Island update: city reports coal-pile cleanup complete, PFAS monitoring to continue
Summary
City staff and consultants told council the 11-acre coal-pile cleanup is complete; a final report will be submitted to EGLE and a PFAS monitoring program (monitoring wells, additional sampling) is underway. A public town hall is scheduled for Nov. 6 to present findings and remediation concepts.
City project management director Derek Gaitos and consultant Laura Zweida gave a progress update on Harbor Island remediation at the Nov. 3 Grand Haven City Council meeting.
Zweida said the coal-pile cleanup portion of the project — involving approximately 11 acres of coal-impacted soil — is complete and the team will submit the finalized report to EGLE (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) for review. “Once we get the approval from EGLE, then we will consider this part of the project complete,” Zweida said.
Staff also updated the council on PFAS work: the city has updated a PFAS roadmap, plans to install monitoring wells, and recently submitted quarterly groundwater monitoring reports (second- and third-quarter 2025) and a semiannual remedy-selection report to the EPA as part of the federal process. Gaitos said the team has gathered much of the required data and will present remediation concepts — including visuals — at a public town hall scheduled for Nov. 6 from 6:30–8:00 p.m. at Central Park Place.
Gaitos and Zweida said subject-matter experts will be on hand at the town hall to answer questions about the coal pile, CCR (coal combustion residuals) issues, PFAS sampling, and potential remediation options. Staff said presentation materials and slides will be posted on the city website after the town hall.
What’s next The team will submit the final coal-pile report to EGLE, continue PFAS monitoring (wells and sampling), and present remediation concepts and data at the Nov. 6 town hall. Any future remediation work will depend on EGLE permitting and federal oversight.
