Certain areas south of Bellaire will now be required to follow precautions when replacing a well or building a new one.
Parts of Custer Township, Kearny Township and the Schuss Village development lie in the path of a contaminated groundwater plume.
The state of Michigan along with the Health Department of Northwest Michigan have been tracking the plume for over 20 years.
Now the Health Department of Northwest Michigan is updating the list of areas that must test their water when replacing or building a well. It’s the first time they’ve made changes to that list since 2018.
"Just because that plume is dynamic and it is moving, we felt that now is the time to update that policy based on the current plume location and projections," said Casey Clement, with the health department.
Depending on specific zones of the plume, the contaminated groundwater can move anywhere from 50 to 500 feet per year. The state of Michigan maintains monitoring wells to track the plume.
The well-testing policy for the new areas will become effective June 1.
"[This] is a routine update, just based on the current path of the plume," Clement said. "Some people will hear about this groundwater contamination and the plume, and it sounds very scary. From my perspective, it has been very well managed."
Since the last update to the well-testing list in 2018, no trichloroethylene has been found in wells. If contaminants are found, property owners are connected to public water supply.
The health department also encourages annual sampling for volatile organic compounds for those that fall under the policy.
Find fact sheets containing more information on the plume, including the rate of movement and more details about the health department's well first policy. Reach the health department's environmental health services office at 800-432-4121.
