&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
We want to hear from you!
With the transfer of the site to EPA's
remedial branch, the Agency wants
community input from the start.
Ways to get involved:
• Help EPA develop the site
community involvement plan.
• Meet with EPA staff in person.
• Talk to EPA staff on the phone.
Send us your comments.
• Post your comments on the EPA
website.
Help start a community
advisory group.
• Help EPA find the source of the
PCB contamination.
See inside this fact sheet to get
more details about ways you can
get involved and let your voice be
heard.
Information repository
You may review site documents at:
St. Clair Shores Public Library
22500 Eleven Mile Road
Websites
www.epa.gov/region5/sites/
tenmiledrain
www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfactsl7.html
Additional Cleanup Work and
Long-Term Study to Begin
Ten-Mile Drain Site
St. Clair Shores, Michigan
June 2010
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's work at the Ten-Mile Drain
site will soon move from the removal response phase to a long-term
Superfund investigation and cleanup phase. EPA's "remedial" staff will
begin a comprehensive investigation to fully determine the extent of the
contamination. Agency remedial staff works on long-term cleanup projects.
The emphasis will be on finding the source and cleaning it up to stop the
potential for re-contamination. A lot of cleanup work and sampling has
been done in previous investigations, but a source has not been found.
Consequently, the drains and canals have been re-contaminated.
The Ten-Mile Drain site consists of PCB-contaminated soil and sediment
(mud) in and around a storm sewer system in St. Clair Shores. PCBs are also
in canals where the storm sewer discharges and in Lake St. Clair. See Page 3
for an explanation of poly chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and why the chemical
compound is an environmental and health concern.
Work this summer
The current cleanup and investigation work at the site will continue during this
transition. This summer, monthly sampling in the sewer drains will be done
to monitor the effectiveness of the equipment put in this spring to trap the
contaminated sediment. Ground water (underground water) will continue to be
sampled twice a year. Stormwater at the outfall will also be sampled twice a year.
The long-term investigation and cleanup process
Because of the difficulties finding the source of the Ten-Mile Drain
contamination, EPA is elevating this site to long-term status and bringing
more resources to bear. The remedial branch of EPA Superfund will begin a
comprehensive study called a remedial investigation or RI. This study will
involve extensive sampling of area soil, sediment, ground water, surface
water and air to identify how widespread the PCB contamination is and, most
importantly, to identify the source(s) of the PCBs. The results of this study and
all previous studies will be used to design the most effective approach to clean
up the source of the pollution and any areas affected by the PCBs.
These cleanup options will be explained in detail in a document called a feasibility
study or FS. In the FS, the cleanup options will be evaluated against criteria
including effectiveness, overall protection and cost. EPA will then propose a
cleanup plan for the site. The cleanup plan will be explained in a document called
a proposed plan. The community will have an opportunity to comment on EPA's
proposed cleanup plan as well as all of the options examined in the FS.
All of these documents will be made available to the public and the comment
period will be announced in the local newspapers. EPA will evaluate
comments received before selecting a final cleanup plan for the site.
This process can take several years to complete. However, if at any point in
the process EPA finds that the site poses an immediate threat to the public or
the environment the Agency can use its removal response authorities to take
immediate action.
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Get involved!
In order to better serve the St. Clair Shores community, EPA is asking for your input. There are many ways you can
get involved:
Meet with EPA staff in person
EPA will be coming to St. Clair Shores the week of July
5 to meet one-on-one with area residents and officials to
discuss their concerns about the ongoing investigation
and cleanup.
EPA is in the process of developing a community
involvement plan or CIP for the site. The purpose of the
CIP is to provide EPA information about community
concerns and enhance communication between residents
and EPA. The CIP will be a living document that will
evolve based on input from the community and as the
investigation and cleanup process continues. Community
involvement is crucial to the development of the plan.
We want to know your understanding of the
contamination, the community's involvement with the
canals and lake, general information about the area, and
your concerns and insights regarding the contamination.
By identifying the public's concerns, EPA is able to more
effectively address the community's needs.
If you would be interested in meeting with EPA, please:
Call, fax, mail or e-mail Megan McSeveney. Her contact
information is listed on the back page. Interviews can be
done in person or over the phone.
All interviews are confidential
Send or phone in your comments
If you cannot meet with EPA in person but would like to
share information with us or let us know how you feel,
you can:
• call Megan McSeveney at 800-621-8431, Ext.
61972.
send your comments to Megan at the address listed
on the back page of this fact sheet.
visit the following EPA website to attach your
comments:
www.epa.gov/region5/sites/tenmiledrain
Mailing list
If you would like to be placed on the mailing list to
receive information about the Ten-Mile Drain site or
would like to set up a community interview, please
contact Megan McSeveney.
Other community involvement programs
EPA offers a number of tools and resources for residents
living near a Superfund site. Here is a list of programs
the St. Clair Shores community may qualify for:
The most common is a Technical Assistance Grant,
or TAG, which provides money for activities that help
your community participate in decision-making at
eligible Superfund sites. An initial grant up to $50,000
is available to qualified community groups so they can
contract with independent technical advisers to interpret
and help the community understand information about
their site.
A Superfund Community Advisory Group, or CAG, is
made up of members of the community and is designed
for the exchange of information among the local
community and EPA and other agencies involved in the
cleanup of the Superfund site.
Technical Assistance Services for Communities or
TASC provides educational and technical assistance
to areas affected by hazardous waste sites handled
by the Superfund program. This program provides
non-EPA experts to explain hazardous waste issues at
contaminated sites near your community and to interpret
EPA's plans for cleaning up that waste. The technical
experts available through TASC are environmental
engineers and scientists from private companies and
universities.
To enable communities to obtain the services of
independent technical advisors to help community
members understand site-related technical information
and decisions, EPA has instituted a program called
Technical Assistance Plan or TAP. This can be used at
sites with cleanups where the TAP has been included
in the settlement agreement between EPA and the
responsible party. This primarily includes non-National
Priority List (non-NPL) sites, but it's also possible for
NPL sites. The assistance is available after a settlement
agreement, which includes the TAP, has been signed by
EPA and the potentially responsible party.
For more information on these community outreach
programs, see the following website:
www.epa.gov/superfund/community
If you are interested in any of these programs, contact
Megan McSeveney.
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Timeline of
Over the past nine years, Michigan Department of Natural
Resources and the Environment, Macomb County Public
Works Office (MCPWO), city of St. Clair Shores, Macomb
County Heath Department, and EPA's removal response
staff have done extensive cleanup, responded to residents'
concerns and conducted investigations at the site including
the following:
January/February 2002 - DNRE determined that elevated
PCB concentrations were contained in sediment samples
that were collected to dredge the Lange/Revere canals.
Michigan notified the city and county of its findings.
The county immediately conducted an investigation and
determined the PCBs were discharging from the Ten-Mile
Drain and the highest drain concentrations were in the
vicinity of Harper Avenue and Bon Brae Street.
2002 - DNRE, county and city asked for EPA assistance
to investigate the extent and degree of the contamination
in the drain and canals.
March 2002 - Federal, state and local agencies held a
public meeting to update the residents on the findings of
the initial investigation.
March 2003 - EPA dredged the most contaminated sections
of the canals and drain. More than 24,000 tons of material
was removed.
January - MCPWO confirmed ongoing PCB
contamination of the Ten-Mile Drain after reviewing a
video of the drain, examining historic aerial photographs
and reviewing comments from the public. State and local
agencies asked for EPA's assistance again to clean out
contaminated sediment from the drain and conduct
investigations to determine the source of the PCBs.
Feb 2005 - MCPWO hosted a second public meeting to
update residents.
May 2005- EPA and DNRE drilled 64 additional soil
sampling locations in suspected source areas in an attempt
to better understand the extent of contamination of PCBs.
2006 - Agencies placed a liner in a portion of sewer pipe to
stop PCBs from getting into the pipe and ultimately into the
canals and lake. EPA removed contaminated soil from nine
residential yards or public easements.
- DNRE provided $500,000 to the city for further
investigation and cleanup efforts.
October 2008 - City of St. Clair Shores contractor ECT
designed drain-cleaning system and began removing the
most recent contaminated sediment from the drain.
Late 2009 - ECT discovered PCB-contaminated oil inside
the lined portion of the sewer.
December 2009 - The city and EPA removed sediment and
PCBs from the outfall of the drain where it enters the canal.
The agencies also constructed "weirs" or small dams at 17
manhole locations in the sewer drains to isolate contaminated
sediment and stop it from reaching the canal. Weirs are semi-
circular metal barriers placed on the bottom half of the sewer
pipes to stop the movement of PCBs that sink to the bottom
but still allow water to flow through over the top of the weirs.
PCBs
PCBs are a group of chemicals originally used in industrial
processes. PCBs have also been used in products such
as sealants, rubber, paints, plastics, printing ink and
insecticides. All PCBs are man-made; there are no known
natural sources of PCBs in the environment. PCBs are either
oily liquids or solids. They are colorless to light yellow and
do not have a known smell or taste. PCBs do not readily
dissolve in water or easily break down in the environment.
In 1977 PCB production was banned in the United States.
PCBs can pose potential health risks through eating
contaminated food, soil, or water; through direct contact;
or through breathing PCB-contaminated air or particles.
EPA considers PCBs as possibly cancer-causing chemicals.
For more information on PCBs, see the following website:
www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfactsl7.html
Priority
This March the Ten-Mile Drain site was proposed for
placement on the National Priorities List. The NPL is
a roster of the nation's hazardous waste sites eligible
for investigation and cleanup under EPA's Superfund
program.
The Agency is currently reviewing comments received
from the March 2010 proposal, and it hopes to make a
final decision on whether to place the site on the NPL
by this fall. The transfer of the site to EPA's remedial
branch will allow for additional funding and resources,
including enforcement. EPA's enforcement program
follows leads to find those responsible for a hazardous
waste site to either clean it up or reimburse EPA.
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For more information
For more information about the Ten-Mile Drain site, please contact:
Colleen Moynihan
Remedial Project Manager
Superfund Division (SR-6J)
EPA Region 5
77 W.Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
Phone: 800-621-8431, Ext. 38196,
weekdays, 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
E-mail: moynihan.colleen@epa.gov
Autumn Lawson
Project Manager
Specialized Sampling Unit/Superfund Section/
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
and Environment
Constitution Hall, 3rd Floor, South
525 W. Allegan St.
P.O. Box 30426
Lansing, Michigan 48909-7926
Phone: 517-241-2120
Email: lawsona@michigan.gov
Megan McSeveney
Community Involvement Coordinator
Superfund Division (SI-7J)
EPA Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
Phone: 800-621-8431, Ext. 61972,
weekdays, 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Fax: 312-408-2234
E-mail: mcseveney.megan@epa.gov
Help us find the source
If you have any information that might help EPA
locate the source of the PCB contamination, contact:
Megan McSeveney at 800-621-8431, Ext. 61972
All information will be kept confidential.
You do not have to give us your name.
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