The Hoskins Manufacturing Mio plant operated from the late 1960s until 2001 manufacturing thermoelectric wire, strip and ribbon from nickel and chromium alloys. The plant was abandoned in 2002 and the company that owned the Hoskins Manufacturing site claimed that they lacked the financial resources to continue with further remedial action at the site.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE), performed investigations to determine the extent and severity of the soil, groundwater and surface water contamination at the site. The contaminants of concern in the soil are trivalent chromium, nickel and tetrachloroethylene (PCE). The contaminants of concern in the groundwater are hexavalent chromium and PCE. The groundwater contamination plume is approximately one-half (½) mile long and discharges to Perry Creek, a designed trout stream and tributary to the Au Sable River.

Multiple cleanup actions were also conducted by the DNRE and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including removal of a portion of the contaminated soil and building demolition. The DNRE is currently monitoring the contamination in the groundwater and implementing a cleanup on portion of the groundwater contamination in 2010 and 2011. This “hot spot” remediation will lower overall groundwater contamination plume concentration and mass, and provide valuable information regarding the selected remedial strategy.