Great
Lakes
National
Program
On the Web at:
www.epa.gov/greatlakes
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO)
Significant Activities Report
August 2005
IN THIS ISSUE:
• Ruddiman Creek Legacy Act
Project Begins
• Pollution Prevention Lessons for
Oil Refineries
• New Great Lakes Watershed
Restoration Grant Program
• Summer Water Quality Survey
• A Visit to Torch Lake
• Burning River Festival
• Sharing Great Lakes Long-Range
Transport Expertise
• Buffalo River Press Event
• Ryerson Creek Sediments
Sampled
• Fish-Friendly Culverts
• Dioxin 2005 Conference
Ruddiman Creek Legacy Act
Project Begins
On August 8th the Ruddiman Creek Great
Lakes Legacy Act project got underway.
This is the third remediation project started
under the Great Lakes Legacy Program.
This project, located in Muskegon, Michi-
gan, entails the removal of approximately
80,000 cubic yards of sediment contami-
nated with PCBs, metals, and PAHs. This
$10.6 million project is expected to take
about nine months to complete. Under the
Great Lakes Legacy Act, $6.9 million or
65% of the project costs are paid with fed-
USEPA Administrator Steve Johnson speaks at
Ruddiman Creek Cleanup Kickoff
eral funds. The other 35%, or $3.7 million, is
being funded by the non-federal sponsor-the
state of Michigan, using Clean Michigan Ini-
tiative funds.
A kickoff ceremony took place on August
25th in Muskegon. USEPA Administrator
Steve Johnson, Michigan Department of En-
vironmental Quality Director Steve Chester,
and Congressmen Vernon Ehlers and Pete
Hoekstra participated and provided remarks
at the event.
The Ruddiman Creek and Pond remediation
project is located in Muskegon, County,
Michigan and consists of approximately 2.3
miles of creek, a 21-acre pond, and approxi-
mately 39 acres of wetlands adjacent to the
pond and creek. The pond discharges to Mus-
kegon Lake and then to Lake Michigan. The
Ruddiman Creek drainage is approximately
3,000 acres, and includes the cities of Mus-
kegon, Norton Shores, Muskegon Heights,
and Roosevelt Park. All four cities have
storm sewers that discharge to Ruddiman
Creek. The watershed includes properties
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August 2005
Significant Activities Report
used for industrial, commercial, residential,
and recreational purposes.
The main branch of Ruddiman Creek is cur-
rently posted as a No Swimming, Fishing or
Recreation Area due in part to sediment
contamination. The primary contaminants
of concern include cadmium at 25 parts per
millions (ppm), chromium at 2,900 ppm,
polychlorinated biphenyls at 6 ppm and lead
at 1,200 ppm. The contaminated area has
been dammed off from the creek to allow
efficient sediment removal using conven-
tional excavation equipment. Upon comple-
tion of the sediment removal, the creek and
pond will be reconstructed and water flow
patterns restored.
(Contact: Marc Tuchman, 312-353-1369,
tuchman.marc@epa.gov)
Pollution Prevention Lessons for
Oil Refineries
Funded in part by a GLNPO grant, the Mur-
phy Oil USA Refinery in Superior, Wiscon-
sin and the City of Superior Wastewater Di-
vision of Public Works (WDPW) entered
into a voluntary partnership in 2001 to de-
velop a pollution prevention guidebook for
refineries and other industries interested in
reducing use of mercury and polychlori-
nated biphenyls (PCBs). WDPW staff, with
the assistance of Murphy Oil employees,
conducted an inventory of mercury at Mur-
phy Oil and reviewed its PCB removal ac-
tivities.
Superior WDPW and Murphy Oil formed a
partnership in part to inventory all mercury-
containing equipment at Murphy Oil and to
develop a mercury phase-out plan, a mer-
cury-free purchasing policy, and mercury
spill plan. Murphy Oil agreed to work to-
ward mercury elimination by removing or
replacing mercury-containing equipment
Prescription
for Mercury
and PCB
Elimination
Mercury and PCB Reduction
Guidance for Oil Refineries
Cover of "Prescription for Mercury and PCB
Elimination " for Oil Refineries
(graphic courtesy of City of Superior WDPW)
with mercury-free alternatives. Since Mur-
phy Oil had already removed PCBs from its
electrical transformers before the grant was
awarded, WDPW staff reviewed documen-
tation to understand Murphy Oil's methods
and timeline for PCB removal from electri-
cal transformers.
This inventory was conducted so Murphy
Oil's pollution prevention efforts could be
used as a case study for a guidebook titled
"Prescription for Mercury and PCB Elimi-
nation: Mercury and PCB Reduction Guid-
ance for Oil Refineries." The guidebook
provides information to oil refineries and
other industries that need assistance in order
to enter into voluntary pollution prevention
agreements with governmental agencies,
and conduct on-site inventories and reduc-
tion activities for mercury and PCBs. Cop-
ies of the guidebook were printed and sent
to most of the oil refineries and chemical
companies on the mailing list of the Na-
tional Petrochemical and Refiners Associa-
tion (90 refineries total).
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The guidebook is available on the City of
Superior's WDPW Web Site at:
http://www.ci. superior, wi .us/publicwks/
wastewater/MurphyProj ect. htm#menu
(Contact: E.Marie Graziano, 312-886-6034,
graziano.emarie@epa.gov)
New Great Lakes Watershed
Restoration Grant Program
A new grant program: the Great Lakes Wa-
tershed Restoration Program is being estab-
lished through cooperation among several
federal agencies. The participating agencies
are contributing thousands of dollars to fund
projects that directly address priority areas
identified by the Great Lakes Regional Col-
laboration's Habitat/Species Strategy Team.
GLNPO is contributing $400,000; the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service is contributing
$200,000; the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration is contributing
$100,000. The National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation is coordinating the program:
posting the Request for Proposals (RFP) on
their website at: http://nfwf.org/programs/
greatlakes with links to contributing federal
agencies, coordinating proposal reviewers,
and administrating the grants.
(Contact: Karen Rodriguez, 312-353-2690,
rodriguez.karen@epa.gov)
Summer Water Quality Survey
The 2005 Great Lakes Summer Water Qual-
ity/Ecology Survey began on July 31st. The
R/VLake Guardian, with a crew of chem-
ists and biologists is visiting each of the
Great Lakes, taking samples to assess their
environmental health. Samples will be taken
for water chemistry, including nutrients and
general water quality parameters. The
planktonic and benthic communities will
also be assessed from samples taken
throughout the lakes. This year, the survey
Scientist aboard the RN Lake Guardian washes
down plankton sample from sides of plankton
is scheduled cooperatively with the NOAA
effort to investigate the dead zone in Lake
Erie, a project which builds upon GLNPO's
efforts in 2002 and 2003. The use of the
ship by NOAA scientists will extend the
survey into late September when Lake Su-
perior will be visited.
GLNPO is responsible for monitoring the
offshore water quality of the Great Lakes to
evaluate water quality over time and iden-
tify any emerging water quality problems.
Comprehensive water quality surveys are
conducted in all five Great Lakes in both
the spring, when the water is cold and well
mixed, and in the summer, when the lakes
are biologically active.
(Contact: Glenn Warren, 312-886-2405,
warren.glenn@epa.gov)
A Visit to Torch Lake
GLNPO's Vicki Thomas and Mark Elster
and Brenda Jones of USEPA Region 5
Superfund made a site visit to the Torch
Lake, Michigan Area of Concern (AOC) on
August 23rd and met with the State of
Michigan and the Torch Lake Public Advi-
sory Council (the local citizens group work-
ing on the AOC). The AOC has been im-
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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Significant Activities Report
Mason Sands area of the Torch Lake Superfund site and AOC shoreline restoration "before" (left) and "after".
For a reference point, GLNPO's Mark Elster points to a partially submerged dredge and the chimney of an old
mill that can also be seen in the "before" picture. Many of the ruins of the mining industry are being preserved
as a reminder of the role of the copper mining has had in the development of this part of Michigan.
pacted by the remnants of copper mining
activities. Stamp sand piles, which are the
by-product of removing the copper from the
ore, dot the AOC. Through State and Fed-
eral Superfund actions, much of the stamp
sand piles in the AOC have been stabilized
through the application of clean soil seeded
with vegetation. This has led to the reclama-
tion of many acres of the AOC. The Super-
fund activities should be completed by 2007
and it is hoped that the AOC can be for-
mally delisted by that date.
(Contact: Mark Elster, 312-886-3857, elster.
mark@epa.gov)
Burning River Festival
USEPA Great Lakes National Program Of-
fice's Great Lakes Research Vessel R/V
Lake Guardian was open for tours as part
of Cleveland's Burning River Fest. On Sat-
urday, August 13th, the ship docked at the
end of 9th Street in North Coast Harbor.
Tours were conducted every 30 minutes be-
ginning at Noon and ending at 5:30 p.m.
Tours showcased the ship's sampling gear,
laboratories, living spaces, and bridge.
USEPA tour guides from the Region 5
Cleveland Office and GLNPO's David
Rockwell and Beth Hinchey Malloy con-
ducted the tours, educating visitors on the
research and monitoring mission of the
Lake Guardian while Captain Bob Chris-
tensen explained the ship's navigation sys-
tems.
The 180-foot R/V Lake Guardian is the
USEPA's largest research and monitoring
vessel. It is the only self-contained, non-
polluting research ship on the Great Lakes.
It conducts monitoring programs that sam-
GUARD
m
Facilitating the R/V Lake Guardian Open House at
the Burning River Festival were (left to right): Mark
Conti, Lyn Luttner, Captain Bob Christensen, Dave
Rockwell, George Coder, and Beth Hinchey Malloy
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pie the water, aquatic life, sediments, and
air in order to assess the health of the Great
Lakes ecosystem by using state-of-the-art
data collection techniques and instruments
during the biannual spring and summer sur-
veys. It is also used to support research ac-
tivities conducted by Federal, State, and, lo-
cal agencies, and universities.
The annual Burning River Fest is a non-
partisan public awareness and education
event created to highlight the Cuyahoga
River, its neighboring waterways and other
environmentally focused efforts.
(Contacts: David Rockwell, 312-353-1373,
rockwell.david@epa.gov; and Beth Hinchey
Malloy, 312-886-3451, hinchey.
elizabeth@epa.gov)
Sharing Great Lakes Long-Range
Transport Expertise
On August 4th GLNPO's Todd Nettesheim
joined scientists from Queens College, Rut-
gers University, Vanderbilt University,
NOAA, and other EPA Offices to share
their expertise on the long-range transport
of dioxins with the New York / New Jersey
Harbor Project. The session was organized
by the New York Academy of Sciences.
The purpose of the meeting was to begin
identifying the relative significance of local,
regional, national, and global sources of at-
mospheric dioxin deposition to the New
York / New Jersey Harbor. The New York
Academy of Sciences organized the meeting
as part of the larger Harbor Project, an in-
dustrial ecology / pollution prevention as-
sessment of pollutants in the New York /
New Jersey area.
(Contact: Todd Nettesheim, 312-353-9153,
nettesheim.todd@epa.gov)
GLNPO scientists process a sediment core sample
aboard the R/V Mudpuppy
Buffalo River Press Event
GLNPO's Mary Beth G. Ross attended a
press event on August 23rd at the Smith
Street Habitat Restoration Site in Buffalo,
New York. The event was coordinated by
the New York State Department of Environ-
mental Conservation (NYSDEC). Other
participants in the event included represen-
tatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engi-
neers' Buffalo District, the Buffalo Niagara
RIVERKEEPER (formerly the Friends of
the Buffalo and Niagara Rivers), local uni-
versities, and the Erie County Federation of
Sportsmen's Clubs. Abbey Snyder
(NYSDEC) and Jill Spisiak Jedlicka
(Buffalo-Niagara RIVERKEEPER) thanked
those present for their support and stressed
the need for continued improvement in the
quality of the sediments, water, and fish and
wildlife habitat. Mary Beth Ross described
the sample collection and processing proce-
dures while the R/VMudpuppy and Corps'
pontoon boat collected and processed a
sediment core from the Smith Street section
of the Buffalo River.
The NYSDEC, with field assistance from
USEPA and the Corps, is collecting ap-
proximately 400 sediment core and ponar
samples from over 150 sites along the Buf-
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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falo River. The samples will be analyzed for
PCBs, PAHs, pesticides, metals, and toxic-
ity. The results of the sampling will be used
in the Corps' feasibility study, and once that
is completed, the project will be in the posi-
tion to access the Corps' Section 312 (a)
and/or Great Lakes Legacy Act funds for
sediment remediation.
(Contact: Mary Beth G. Ross, 312-886-
2253, ross.marybeth@epa.gov)
Ryerson Creek Sediments Sampled
From August 9th to 11th, scientists from
GLNPO, Grand Valley State University,
and the Michigan Department of Environ-
mental Quality (MDEQ) collected sediment
samples from ten locations at the mouth Ry-
erson Creek, which is part of the Muskegon
Lake Area of Concern. This assessment pro-
ject was conducted under the Great Lakes
Legacy Act, with MDEQ serving as the
non-federal sponsor. The samples will be
analyzed for PCBs, PAHs, and metals, as
well as toxicity testing. The purpose of the
sampling was to study the nature and extent
of contamination in Ryerson Creek and help
determine if this site might be a candidate
for Legacy Act remediation funds in the fu-
ture.
(Contacts: Marc Tuchman, 312-353-1369,
tuchman.marc@epa.gov; and Alie Muneer,
312-886-8031, muneer.alie@epa.gov)
Fish-Friendly Culverts
Working under an Interagency Agreement
with GLNPO, the Fish and Wildlife Ser-
vice, Ashland, Wisconsin Fisheries Office
has completed a new web site "No/Low Im-
pact Culverts for Fish Passage" (http://
www.fws.gov/midwest/Fisheries/
streamcrossings) designed to provide best
management practices for culvert design.
Users can learn how to design fish-friendly
An example of a culvert that allows easy fish passage
(photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
culverts through a presentation that includes
the segments:
• About the Program
• Cautions to Consider
• Evaluation of Your Work Site
• Choosing Options for Replacement
Structures
• Final Site Preparation/Culvert Installa-
tion
• Erosion Control
• Quick Reference Guide
• References and Web Links.
(Contact: Karen Rodriguez, 312-353-2690,
rodriguez.karen@epa.gov)
Dioxin 2005 Conference
GLNPO's Melissa Hulting attended the
2005 Dioxin Conference held this year in
Toronto, Canada on August 22nd to 26th.
Dioxin 2005 is an international conference
for research on halogenated environmental
organic pollutants. Presentations included
those on environmental levels of "legacy
pollutants" such as PCBs and DDT, as well
as emerging pollutants of concern including
PBDEs, perfluorinated compounds, and
synthetic musks. Erin Newman of USEPA
Region 5's Air and Radiation Division was
a co-author on a poster about the work of
the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy
Dioxin and Furan workgroup to reduce the
emissions of dioxins and furans in the Great
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U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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August 2005
Lakes and nationwide.
(Contacts: Melissa Hulting, 312-886-2265,
hulting.melissa@epa.gov; and Erin New-
man, 312-886-4587, newman.erin@epa.
gov)
Upcoming Events
2005
September 15
Great Lakes Binational
Toxics Strategy Integration
Workgroup, Chicago, Illi-
nois
November 2n - State of Lake Michigan
Conference, Green Bay,
Wisconsin
,rd
th
December 6 -
7th
December 12
Great Lakes Binational
Toxics Strategy Stakeholder
Forum and Integration
Workgroup, Chicago, Illi-
nois
Great Lakes Regional Col-
laboration Summit II, Chi-
cago, Illinois
We welcome your questions, comments or
suggestions about this month's Significant
Activities Report. To be added to or re-
moved from the Email distribution of the
Significant Activities Report, please contact
Tony Kizlauskas, 312-353-8773,
kizlauskas.anthony@epa.gov.
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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