Return to Use Initiativ
2007 Demonstration Project
Rockwell International
Corporation:
Allegan, Michigan
THE SITE: The 30-acre Rockwell International Corp. site is located in Allegan,
Michigan. From the 1920s until 1991, Rockwell manufactured universal joints
and drive-line equipment for heavy trucks and construction equipment. During
manufacturing operations, wastewater containing process wastes and waste oils
was discharged into the Kalamazoo River, a wetland area behind the plant, and
a series of lagoons. Prior to 1970, the wetland area and the lagoons were filled
in and built over. During the 1970s, Rockwell installed a wastewater treatment
system at the site and discharged the treated wastes through a series of three new
lagoons and into the Kalamazoo River under a National Pollutant Elimination
Discharge System permit. Meanwhile, the City of Allegan operated an 11-acre
municipal landfill adjacent to the site from 1947 to 1972. In 1965, Rockwell
purchased four acres of the landfill for use as a parking lot. Portions of the
landfill may overlap with areas of Rockwell waste disposal. As a result of
disposal practices, surface and subsurface soils, ground water, and sediments in
the lagoons and the Kalamazoo River were contaminated with volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), semi-VOCs, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
and metals. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1987.
A Record of Decision was issued in 2002 and removal action activities, which
included the excavation and removal of contaminated sediments and soils, are
complete. The remaining remedial work at the site includes installing additional
monitoring wells to assess ground water, installing a slurry wall, and removing
additional soil.
THE OPPORTUNITY: EPA selected the Rockwell International Corp. site as a
2001 Superfund Redevelopment Initiative pilot, and awarded the City of Allegan
a $100,000 grant, which the city used to evaluate its zoning and create a reuse
plan for the site. The site reuse plan that the city created calls for mixed use of
the site. The site property has an excellent location, centrally situated on the
Kalamazoo River, with flat terrain and striking views that could attract current
and future residents. The site property has existing utilities infrastructure, is
located close to the city's fairgrounds, and is within walking distance of the city's
downtown district. As long as future site users take ground water use restrictions
and appropriate management of site soils at depths greater than two feet into
account, the site's remedy supports unrestricted land uses. Developers and the
City of Allegan have expressed interest in potential future land use opportunities
at the site.
THE BARRIERS: The property is currently zoned for industrial use, but
industrial reuse of the site would not be compatible with the surrounding land
uses. The City of Allegan would like to modify the zoning to allow for residential,
Barriers:
Zoning limitations and lack of
institutional controls to ensure
long-term protectiveness
Solution:
Implementation of appropriate and
effective institutional controls
Before:
Former industrial site near a
revitalized downtown area
After:
Potential mixed-use property
addressing needs of the Allegan
community
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
updated June 2009
-------
commercial, municipal, educational, or recreational use. Institutional controls for the site are currently not in place. The
site's remedy requires deed restrictions to be placed on the site to ensure protectiveness of the remedy. Institutional controls
are needed to restrict ground water use and access to soils cleaned to industrial levels present at depths greater than two feet.
The top two feet of soils have been cleaned to meet residential standards.
THE SOLUTION: EPA will continue working to ensure protectiveness of the remedy. In order to do so, EPA will coordinate
with the City of Allegan and other site property owners to implement appropriate institutional controls, including deed
restrictions and ground water use restrictions. When a slurry wall is constructed at the site, EPA could work with MDEQ
and the site's responsible party to determine whether it may be possible to locate low-impact land uses like recreational trails
within the slurry wall's buffer area. The City of Allegan could consider rezoning different parts of the site for different uses
using existing zoning districts to address the limitations currently posed by the site's industrial zoning. EPA will continue to
collaborate with the local community and the City of Allegan to provide assistance as redevelopment plans progress.
THE SITE NOW: The Rockwell site is currently divided into an industrial section owned by the Allegan Metal Finishing
Company and a section owned by the City of Allegan. In January 2008, the Region conducted a situation assessment and
developed a recreational reuse plan with stakeholders. The remedy construction is partially complete, requiring construction
of a slurry wall and removal of additional soil contaminated with non-aqueous phase liquid.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Stacey Coburn, Remedial Project Manager, at (312) 886-2263 or
coburn.stacey@,epa.gov: or Tom Bloom, Region 5 Superfund Redevelopment Coordinator, at (312) 886-1967 or
bloom.thomas@,epa.gov.
The Kalamazoo River. The Rockwell International Corp. site is the exposed soil area in the background area of the photograph.
urmea btates
Environmental Protection
Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
updated June 2009
------- |