By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
CENTREVILLE — Following initial environmental tests at the St. Joseph County Jail, there may soon be more tests conducted there for a harmful contaminant.
During their Executive Committee meeting Monday, St. Joseph County commissioners advanced to their next regular meeting agenda a $28,000 proposal from Fishbeck to conduct further testing and investigation for the extent of the presence of Tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, in the soil vapor and indoor air at the jail. The proposal could go up to $34,000 if real-time indoor air monitoring is needed in the jail.
According to a report from Fishbeck on Aug. 8, a preliminary investigation at the county jail conducted on July 21 and 22 detected PCE in four of the six soil gas samples collected at the building. PCE concentrations also exceeded acceptable indoor air screening levels in two indoor air samples in the northeastern part of the building, with one location testing above action levels at 177 micrograms per cubic meter. The action level for non-residential screenings is 82 micrograms per cubic meter.
The same location in the northeast portion of the building where the indoor air sample exceeded action levels also exceeded levels in the soil gas test, coming in at 5,470 micrograms per cubic meter, over double the 12-hour nonresidential screening level of 2,700 micrograms per cubic meter. A second soil gas test in a different location in the northeast section clocked in at 3,080 micrograms per cubic meter.
“One of the areas it was found in exceeded the recommended limits where it requires a more rapid response, so we put some mitigation plans in place for the one area that it exceeded that level, and now we’re going to come back in and do more spots throughout the building to see what we’re working with,” County Administrator Teresa Cupp said in an interview after the meeting.
The Animal Control building was also tested as part of the assessment’s scope, but no PCE was detected in three soil samples and one air sample. No further testing will be done at the Animal Control building under the new Fishbeck proposal.
Testing was conducted following approval of an $18,700 bid from Fishbeck in July to test both properties after PCE had been found during a 2017 test at the strip mall at 650 E. Main St. in Centreville and in a May 2025 test at Covered Bridge Healthcare. Both tests were conducted by KECK, another similar firm, and were also considered in the bidding for the test.
As previously reported, PCE is a toxic chemical that is mainly used as a dry cleaning agent, and a dry cleaning operation had previously existed in the strip mall a few decades ago. According to the Centers for Disease Control, PCE can be harmful to the nervous system, liver, kidneys and reproductive system with side effects including dizziness, headaches, and changes in mood, memory, attention, reaction time or vision. People exposed to it may also be at a higher risk of getting certain types of cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency considers PCE “likely to be carcinogenic to humans by all routes of exposure” based on suggestive evidence in human studies.
According to their report, Fishbeck reached out to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHS) following the results. A meeting with those officials, as well as county representatives, representatives from the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, and Fishbeck, it was determined there were “gaps” in the data set, which necessitated the new testing looking to be conducted.
“We’re at a point where they’re recommending conducting more testing in the jail, the vapor pin and the vapor testing, so that we can get more data so that EGLE can help us put a plan together for mitigation moving forward,” Cupp said.
The new testing will include developing a sampling and analysis plan in collaboration with the county, EGLE and DHHS, according to Fishbeck, that would address areas of the county jail that weren’t previously investigated. If approved, the plan would see 20 additional vapor testing pins installed in the jail building, as well as the installation of up to five soil gas wells in the event vapor pins weren’t feasible in a given area. There will also be collection of five indoor air samples to confirm the success of any temporary mitigation measures put in place after the initial tests.
According to the Fishbeck proposal, EGLE will be providing and funding the laboratory analysis of the samples in order to provide a quicker turnaround of results; once samples are collected, they estimate results could be had within five business days.
In other business…
Commissioners added to their next meeting agenda a budget amendment for a new dishwasher at the Rivers Enrichment Center, renovation funds for the County Clerk’s office, a change in the professional services agreement for the courthouse renovation due to a change in where the security entrance will be, and a resolution honoring the 125th anniversary of the historic courthouse.
Commissioners also added to their next meeting agenda appointments to the county’s Planning Commission, the Michigan Works! Workforce Development Board, and the St. Joseph County Road Commission. For the Road Commission, Cupp said John Bippus, who had served on the Road Commission previously, would be the nominee for the spot, which would fill the remainder of former board member Jack Coleman’s term. However, Cupp said there were two people who applied via citizen interest form for the spot on the board, with the other person, Al Balog, who had submitted a form that morning, being recommended by commissioners to apply for a spot on the board upon the retirement of chair Eric Shafer, which will happen at the end of 2025.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
