Hidden Hills/Aspenwood Area of Interest

Visit the Hidden Hills/Aspenwood AOI MPART site for the most up-to-date information.  Join the Cascade Township PFAS AOI Interest E-mail List for future PFAS updates.

Leah Gies is the EGLE Lead for this area of interest (AOI) and can be contacted at giesL1@michigan.gov or by calling 616.215.4781.  Point of use water filters are available at the Kent County Health Department.

What started this investigation?
A homeowner on Aspenwood Drive tested their drinking water well independently and results showed PFAS levels exceeded criteria for PFOA.  They reported these results to the health department and EGLE began sampling drinking water wells nearby and receiving results in October 2025. 

In January 2026, a replacement well was put in on Colchester Drive and was tested for PFAS as part of the permitting requirements with the County.  The test results identified PFOA at 10 parts per trillion (ppt), above the state criteria of 8 ppt.  Based on this result, EGLE expanded the state-funded testing to include 95 more homes north of the original state-funded sampling area to 30th Street.  This meeting was scheduled for January 2026 and information was mailed to residences in the initial sampling area, and later hand-delivered to all homes in the extended sampling area, but that meeting was rescheduled due to inclement weather.  The community informational meeting has been rescheduled to February 19, 2026 at the Wisner Center (2870 Jacksmith Ave) from 6:00-7:30pm.  Invited residences will receive another notice of the rescheduled meeting via mail.

What properties are included in the sampling area?

How has EGLE decided which drinking water wells to test?
There are a few factors effecting which wells are targetted, including:

• Proximity to previous sampling results (starting from the first house tested)
• Elevation, well depth, and soil lithology

What have tests shown so far?
As of November 2025, 24 residential drinking wells had been sampled with 12 indicating detections above criteria. 

Who/what is responsible for this PFAS?
While PFAS has been found in the water, EGLE has not been able to determine the source.  It is currently easier to explain why some often mentioned sources aren't likely to be the cause.

• Lacks PFAS Site: The Lacks site did not show the same makeup of PFOS and PFOA found at the Lacks site which had particulates consistent with the chrome plating they previously manufactured.
• Gerald R. Ford Airport (Burger/Goodwood PFAS Site): This source is not likely the cause due to the distance between the sites, differences in topography, and testing in the Burger/Goodwood neighborhood established a generally well accepted perimeter around the pollution. 

What's next?
A community meeting is scheduled for February 19, 2026 the Wisner Center (2870 Jacksmith Ave) from 6:00-7:30pm.  Invited residences will receive another notice of the rescheduled meeting via mail.

EGLE will continue their investigation into the impacted area and attempt to quantify the extent of the pollution.  They are also looking for the PFAS's source but that may be impossible to pinpoint.

Long term solutions employed at other sites include providing municipal water, replacing wells, and source removal/remediation.  It may be years before enough research has been done for remediation can begin but EGLE, the Kent County Health Department, MDHHS, and Cascade Township are working together to investigate this relatively new site.