EPA Proposes Cleanup Plan for Forest Waste Products Superfund Site in Otisville, Michigan
Agency to hold May 20 public meeting to discuss proposed plan
CHICAGO (May 12, 2026) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a plan to clean up groundwater contaminated with 1,4-dioxane and vinyl chloride at the Forest Waste Products Superfund site in Otisville, Michigan.
Under the proposed plan, EPA will extract groundwater from wells and treat the water in a treatment system installed on-site. Water will be treated to levels set by Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy before being discharged to a water body on the site. Crews will construct additional monitoring wells to monitor the performance of the cleanup.
The proposed plan and a fact sheet are available on the Forest Waste Products Superfund website.
Public comments will be accepted through June 10. Members of the public can submit their comments in the following ways:
- Online, using EPA's web form
- By email: wu.lina@epa.gov
- In-person at a public meeting:
When:
Wednesday, May 20
7 p.m.
NOTE: A presentation on the proposed plan will start at 7 p.m.
Where:
Forest Township Hall
130 E. Main Street
Otisville, Michigan
Background:
The 120-acre Forest Waste Products site includes a landfill, nine former lagoons, and contaminated groundwater. Waste was disposed in the landfill and lagoons between 1973 and 1978, resulting in soil and groundwater contamination from hazardous chemicals. In 1983, EPA added the site to the National Priorities List and began investigating cleanup options.
Cleanup began in 1988 with the excavation, removal, and disposal of contaminated materials from the former lagoons and landfill. The landfill was capped in 1997.
EPA and partners have been monitoring groundwater in the area since 1993. In 2011, EPA identified the need to assess 1,4-dioxane at the site. In 2025, EPA completed a groundwater investigation that better defined how far 1,4-dioxane contamination has spread on-site, and to help choose a new cleanup approach.
To learn more, please visit EPA’s Forest Waste Products Superfund website.
###
Follow EPA Region 5 on Instagram, X and visit our Facebook page. For more information about EPA Region 5, visit our website.