Third contamination site identified in Cascade Township
Some Forest Hills residents are expressing concern after learning their drinking water contains excess amounts of PFAS, man-made chemicals that have been linked to health risks over long-term exposure.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy confirmed that Aspenwood Drive in Forest Hills is the only newly identified area currently being investigated for PFAS contamination. The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team posted the area as an "Area of Interest" on Dec. 2 on the state's PFAS response website.
Aspenwood is the third area of interest identified in Cascade Township. The Hillsboro area was identified as a PFAS area of interest in September 2023, and Irene was identified as an area of interest in November 2023. Previous public meetings and outreach have been conducted for residents in those areas.
How the contamination was discovered
The investigation began after EGLE received residential drinking water test results in June 2025 showing an exceedance of PFAS during independent sampling conducted as part of a residential property transaction. The test showed PFOA at 16 parts per trillion compared to the state criteria of 8 ppt.
The contamination was discovered through a point-of-sale test when a home was being sold. That initial high reading triggered EGLE's investigation, which revealed that nearly all homes in the neighborhood tested high for PFAS, with the exception of about two out of 13 homes tested, according to Ashley Schaefer, a Forest Hills neighbor and realtor in the affected area.
Resident reacts
Ashley Schaefer said she and her neighbors learned about the contamination in November when EGLE reached out wanting to test their neighborhood's PFAS levels. She had been aware of PFAS since 2016-2017 when contamination was discovered in Rockford, but didn't expect to encounter it in her own neighborhood.
"We are both terrified and really angry," Schaefer said.
PFAS are man-made "forever chemicals" that don't break down over time. According to the state's PFAS Action Response Team, studies indicate that PFAS may lower a woman's chance of getting pregnant, increase the chance of high blood pressure in pregnant women, increase the chance of thyroid disease, increase cholesterol levels, change immune response, and increase the chance of certain types of cancers.
Schaefer said discovering them in her drinking water has been frustrating.
"Having your natural resource in something that you depend on daily, multiple times a day, for virtually everything. How many times do you use water for everything? Frankly, poisoned without your knowledge, without your consent. It is so frustrating," she said.
"Our neighborhood was built in the 1970s so a lot of these wells are, you know, 60 years old at this point, and, you know, just not adequate for for, you know, today's water consumption," Schaefer said.
As a parent, Schaefer fears for her family's health.
"You think about the developmental damage that's happening to our families, and it really honestly just keeps us up at night," she said.
Questions about next steps
The contamination has left neighbors with questions about what steps they should take.
"What more can I do? Do I need to boil my water? Do I need to get a whole-house system? How do I tell my neighbors? How do I protect our neighborhood?" Schaefer said.
Schaefer said she and her family installed a reverse osmosis system, which is considered the best option for reducing PFAS levels, though it doesn't eliminate the chemicals entirely according to Schaefer.
"A reverse osmosis system is the best, slash, easiest option to remediate it. It doesn't get rid of it entirely. In fact, PFAS is just everywhere, and it has been, but it lowers the level to where it's quote, unquote allowable," she said.
Impact on home values
As a Realtor, Schaefer addressed concerns about how PFAS contamination might affect property values.
"The reality is, no, it does not affect your home value. And the reason being is because it's so widely spread, you're dealing with it and your neighbor is dealing with it, and the street over is dealing with it. And it is a situation that can be remediated," she said.
State investigation ongoing
According to EGLE, there are no known PFAS sources in the immediate residential area, but potential sources in the greater area are being investigated. The agency said there may be multiple sources contributing to the PFAS groundwater contamination in each of the three areas of interest due to the prevalence of PFAS in many consumer, commercial, and industrial products through time. A single source has not yet been identified. The groundwater flow direction is unknown but estimated to be southwest toward the Thornapple River.
The agency has conducted three rounds of sampling to date, including attempted access to over 50 properties and sampling of 36 locations. The sampling has revealed PFAS exceedances at 17 locations, with an additional 16 locations having detections of PFAS below state criteria.
EGLE said no potential sources have been identified yet as they continue to investigate. The sampling area is currently being expanded based on the most recent sampling results, with access request letters being sent to over 60 additional locations. Letters were sent earlier this week to homeowners in the expanded sampling area.
EGLE expands sampling by reviewing results and data, drinking water well logs, well depths, groundwater flow direction, and site geology to determine if other drinking water wells are potentially at risk of contamination.
State resources and testing
In all three areas of interest, the state has offered to sample all properties utilizing drinking water wells within those sampling areas. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is offering point-of-use filters certified to remove PFAS to any homes that have identified PFAS at detectable levels. Schaefer said the state-provided filters are free and are being installed quickly by officials who have been "super helpful."
Any resident located within the Irene, Hillsboro, Aspenwood or any of the state's PFAS sampling areas is eligible for state-funded PFAS sampling, and EGLE will reach out to those who are eligible.
For residents concerned about PFAS in their water, Schaefer recommends getting tested even if their area isn't currently under investigation.
"If you have a well and you're not in a neighborhood that's being investigated or tested, I know this sounds scary, but just assume you have PFAS. Don't wait six months or a year or longer for the state to catch up with you. Assume you have it, take care of yourself and your family," she said.
EGLE recommends that any resident on a private drinking water well test their water for PFAS. If a home is located outside of the state-funded PFAS sampling areas, residents can sample their well independently using guidance available on the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team webpage.
Long-term solutions
The state is working on permanent solutions for affected areas. EGLE is funding a municipal water extension project in the Irene area, with design being finalized and construction planned to start in spring 2026. For the much larger Hillsboro area, EGLE is working with the City of Grand Rapids Water Department and seeking funding to support municipal water extension.
Schaefer hopes the ultimate solution will be connecting to municipal water, which is available in the area but currently not accessible to homes on private wells.
"That would be our best case scenario, is that we recognize that for the safety of our residents, for our neighbors, for our kids, that we need clean drinking water and that we could connect to municipal water," she said.
Despite the ongoing investigation, Schaefer remains concerned about the future.
"I don't know if we'll ever find the source of where the PFAS is coming from," she said.
For home sampling guidance, click here.
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