GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality will be holding an informational meeting Wednesday to address concerns about vapors smelled on the southeast side of Grand Rapids.
The meeting will be held at 6:00pm Wednesday at the Linc Gallery, 1167 Madison SE.
Representatives will be sharing information from what they call the Grand Rapids vapor intrusion project.
Evacuation orders were issued last Thursday at The Red Project, 401 Hall St. SE, and Seeds of Promise, 1168 Madison SE, after the buildings had unsafe vapor levels of tetracholorethylene (PERC). An apartment at 1170 Madison SE was also evacuated.
The Kent County Health Department says acceptable levels of PERC are 6 parts per billion, and the affected buildings had levels between 25 and 50 parts per billion.
The DEQ said that the vapors came from a former dry cleaning business that was located at 413 Hall St. SE. The business has been closed since 1995, but a test earlier this month showed high levels of the vapors.
Anyone with questions should call EPA On-scene Coordinator Betsy Nightingale at 734-770-8402 or email her at nightingale.elizabeth@epa.gov .
