Brownfield Redevelopment

Muskegon Convention Center
Muskegon, Muskegon County, MI

 
ERG Brownfields Muskegon Convention Center

Subsurface investigations were performed in August and October 2019 at the former lumberyard property located along the shoreline of Muskegon Lake. Based on the due diligence investigation, it was determined that the groundwater at the site contained perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS).

After receiving analytical results, the City of Muskegon approached ERG for assistance in managing the site’s groundwater containing PFOS above Muskegon County Wastewater Management System’s discharge limit. ERG prepared, on behalf of the City of Muskegon, an application for a $499,999 Brownfield Redevelopment Site Assessment Grant that would help cover the pre-treatment and disposal costs to the sanitary sewer – which is not a typical cost of site development.

 
 
 

 SERVICES PROVIDED

Brownfield Grant Procurement
PFOS Treatment System Monitoring and Reporting
PFOS Soil & Dewatering Effluent Sampling
Orphan Oil Well Emergency Response
Air Quality Monitoring & Reporting
Soil Excavation Oversight 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Once the grant was awarded, a work plan was prepared by ERG, on behalf of the City of Muskegon, and was submitted to the State of Michigan for approval. The work plan was approved in November 2019, and included the following tasks, which were performed prior to and during redevelopment:

  • Installation and operation of the PFOS treatment system.

  • Dewatering effluent treatment and discharge of treatment effluent to the MCWMS sanitary sewer system.

  • Brownfield oversight and sampling.

  • PFOS treatment system monitoring and reporting.

During construction, a large vertical pipe was discovered that was seeping oil and gas. ERG was promptly contacted to determine the pipe's origins. Within hours, ERG determined that the pipe’s location and characteristics coincided with a former oil well. ERG contacted EGLE’s Remediation and Redevelopment Division (RRD) and Oil Gas and Minerals Division (OGMD) and it was determined that the well should be plugged immediately. EGLE-OGMD was able to secure "orphan well" grant funds (approximately $300,000) to abandon and plug the well. ERG assisted in procuring an additional $200,000 of Brownfield funds for the City of Muskegon for the following project tasks associated with the well abandonment outlined in Work Plan #2:

  • Emergency Response Activities / Liquid Containment

  • Impacted Soil Sampling and Excavation Oversight

  • Nuisance Odor Management

  • Air Monitoring During Well Abandonment

Upon completion of the above remedial objectives, the VanDyk Mortgage Convention Center opened in April 2021.