The Michigan Industrial Finishes Site (MIF) is located at 9045 Vincent Street, within the City of Hamtramck, Wayne County, Michigan. The Site is located in a residential and light industrial area and is bounded on the west by railroad tracks, to the north and south by light industrial businesses, and to the east by Vincent Street and residential housing. The Site consists of two adjacent main buildings (Warehouse Building and Manufacturing Building) with a covered loading dock at the west end of the Warehouse Building. There are approximately four thousand (4,000) 55-gallon drums containing various substances, approximately twenty (20) 250-gallon totes, several large (greater than 3,000 gallon) mixing tanks, vessels, above ground storage tanks, and over one hundred (100) small containers.
The Michigan Industrial Finishes Corporation was formerly a manufacturer of industrial coatings. MIF purchased raw materials, which were then blended on site in different formulations and then resold. MIF has been operating under a Consent Judgment (96-623922CE) since April 11, 1997, issued by the State of Michigan Circuit Court for the 3rd Judicial Circuit with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) as a result of unmitigated violations of the Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (MNREPA).
MDEQ inspections as recently as February 26, 2004, following the issuance of the Consent Judgment documented continued violation at the facility. U.S. EPA and MDEQ conducted a site visit on April 8, 2004 and confirmed that the facility continues to operate in violation of the Consent Judgment. On November 3, 2004, MDEQ issued MIF an Order to Cease and Desist Operations and to Take Corrective Action. MDEQ has requested U.S EPA’s assistance in addressing the potential threats posed by the operation of the facility and the improperly stored hazardous waste. MIF signed an access agreement with the U.S. EPA on November 18, 2004 to allow access for conducting a Time Critical Removal Action.
The U.S. EPA initiated a removal action at the MIF Site on December 6, 2004 to address the immediate threat to human health and the environment posed by the presence of the numerous 55-gallon drums, 250-gallon totes, mixing tanks, vessels, above ground storage tanks, and small containers on site. The removal action will involve the inventorying, characterization, removal, and disposal at approved disposal facilities of all identified hazardous materials from the site.
