Wolverine announced next steps in its already extensive efforts to ensure long-term water quality for the community and continue environmental remediation in and around its hometown. These steps include providing 69.5 million US dollars towards the extension of municipal water to more than 1 000 properties in Plainfield and Algoma Townships and are reflected in a tentative agreement reached by Wolverine Worldwide, the State of Michigan, and Plainfield and Algoma Townships.

The background for this decision dates backs to 2017 when Scotchgard PFAS chemicals were discovered in area groundwater. At the time, Wolverine provided bottled water and installed more than 700 filters in residents’ homes. Wolverine also worked closely with regulators to conduct comprehensive environmental investigations at its House Street and former Tannery properties – including drilling dozens of monitoring wells, and collecting hundreds of soil, groundwater, sediment, and surface water samples.

“Wolverine Worldwide has been part of this community for almost 140 years, and we are committed to being part of water quality solutions for our friends, families, and neighbours in the years to come. That’s why we took fast, proactive steps from the very beginning, and that’s also why we are taking the additional steps being announced today to fund the extension of municipal water to more than 1 000 properties and continue our environmental remediation efforts”, commented Blake W. Krueger, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Wolverine Worldwide.

Wolverine’s Comprehensive Action Plan
Wolverine’s actions are part of a comprehensive approach to addressing PFAS and were agreed to by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), formerly known as the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). The details of the plan include Wolverine providing 69.5 million US dollars over a multi-year period towards an extension of Plainfield Township’s municipal water system to more than 1 000 properties in Algoma and Plainfield Townships, including all hookup and connection fees that homeowners typically pay on their own. Wolverine’s financial contribution will also be used to help fund the Township’s planned construction of a permanent PFAS filtration system and a new municipal well field. Plainfield Township will manage the construction of the municipal water extension, which is expected to begin in 2020. The project will take at least five years to complete and will ultimately provide municipal water to the properties shown on the attached map.