PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Versluis Lake is safe and open to swimmers for summer, Plainfield Township officials said amid fears of PFAS contamination in the community.
The lake contains low levels of PFAS, chemicals that have seeped into the Plainfield municipal water and more than 550 northern Kent County wells. The lake tested at a combined 9.8 parts for PFOS and PFOA, well below the 70 parts per trillion advisory level set in 2016.
Plainfield Township stopped using the Versluis well field as its municipal water source in 2016 after finding elevated levels of PFAS during testing. Records indicate the contamination may have come from the former State Disposal landfill on East Beltline Avenue NE, where Rockford-based shoemaker Wolverine once dumped PFAS-laden waste.
Local and state environmental leaders say it’s safe for people to swim and bathe in water containing PFAS, as it doesn't easily absorb into the skin.
PFAS may not be a concern for swimmers at Versluis, but the water may be contaminated with other hazardous chemicals, said Cody Angell, a local activist who started the clean water-oriented Facebook group, Michigan Demands Action.
“If one contaminant is being found in Versluis, what other chemicals [are there]?” Angell said. “We know the superfund [State Disposal] site has hazardous chemicals. If PFAS is coming from [there], what else is coming?”
Many families still came out to the lake for Memorial Day. Jeff Large, who was celebrating with his family, said he’s not worried about a small amount of PFAS in the lake.
“We're here… and I don't think I'm going to get some crazy disease or anyone's going to be terribly affected just by being here today," Large said.
People should be able to enjoy the lake, but more testing needs to be done for unregulated chemicals that may have seeped into the water from the dump, Angell said.
“We’re jumping ahead of the gun,” he said. “Until we know for a fact that this water is deemed safe, then we should keep it closed.”
People heading to the lake can pay a $10 entrance fee, or purchase a season pass.
Correction: Plainfield Township used the Versluis well field as its municipal water source. A previous version said the township used the lake.
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