We know the land beneath Brookfield Plaza is polluted. We don't know if it's ever going to be cleaned up.

The ground underneath the concrete, located at the east end of East Lansing off Grand River Avenue, has been contaminated by two gas stations and two former dry cleaners.

Underground contaminants have made the site one of the most contaminated in Ingham County.

State environment officials from the Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, are aware of the contamination, but three out of the four contaminated Brookfield sites still haven't been cleaned up to meet state standards.

That leaves us with contaminated land and seemingly no idea as to if, or when, it will all get cleaned.

Although the owner of Brookfield Plaza realizes the pollution is a problem, he isn't responsible for cleaning it up. That job belongs to former owners.

The problem is that those who polluted the land are required by law to remove contaminants, but are not required to report their progress to environment officials.

This leaves the DEQ with little power to enforce environment standards on businesses that pollute.

The DEQ needs to have the authority to make sure once it has found contaminated land, it's cleaned up, and it should do whatever it takes to make sure it is effective in protecting people and the environment.

Although the chemicals are underground and people will not likely come into contact with them, the list of contaminates — some of which have been known to cause cancer and negative effects on the kidney and nervous system — is scary.

There is evidence that the chemicals have made their way into the groundwater, but DEQ officials said it is unlikely those contaminants will make it into drinking water utility pipes.

Although the chemicals might not hurt people, they're still there and shouldn't be.

No efforts have been made to clean the land under one dry cleaning establishment located at the west end of the plaza. The owner of that business claims the contamination is not serious, even though the department does not agree.

All of this means some of the land under Brookfield Plaza could remain polluted for a long time.

Pollution caused by businesses isn't something that affects a couple of people who live near the site. It's something the government needs the authority and ability to control.

The department cleaned up one site at the east end of the plaza after the businesses went bankrupt and brought the land up to commercial standards.

Is that what it takes to get land safe and clean? The department having to go in and do it itself?

Pollution is something we all have to face and the department needs to enforce cleanup.

Although the effects of Brookfield Plaza aren't readily apparent, the ground underneath needs to be cleaned before problems occur.