oEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Great Lakes
RESTORATION! J
Hie Great Lakes Restoration Initiative,
or GLRI, is the largest investment in the
Great Lakes in two decades. Sixteen
federal departments or agencies are
working together on five priorities:
•	Cleaning up toxics and Areas of
Concern (AOC).
•	Combating invasive species.
•	Protecting the lakes from polluted
runoff.
•	Restoring wetlands and other habitats.
•	Raising public awareness, tracking
progress and working with partners.
The GLRI's Great Lakes Legacy Act
provides up to 65 percent of the cost of
sediment cleanup with a non-federal
entity contributing the balance. Legacy
Act partnerships have cleaned up 21 sites
in six Great Lakes states and remediated
4.1 million cubic yards of contaminated
sediment.
Completed cleanups have transformed
toxic hot spots into attractive locations
and valuable waterfront assets.
Contact EPA
Heather Williams
Environmental Engineer
Great Lakes National Program Office
312-886-5993
williams.heather@epa.gov
Mark Loom is
Physical Scientist
Great Lakes National Program Office
312-886-0406
loomis.mark@epa.gov
Websites:
Muskegon Lake AOC
https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-
aocs/about-muskegon-lake-aoc
Zephyr Oil Legacy Act cleanup
https://www.greatlakesmud.org/zephvr-
site—muskegon-lake-aoc.html
Agencies Complete $16 Million
Sediment Cleanup at Refinery Site
Former Zephyr Oil Refinery - Muskegon Lake AOC
Muskegon, Michigan	October 2018
Contaminated sediment is excavated from the former fire-suppression ditch at
the Zephyr Refinery site. The refinery built the canal to bring water closer to the
facility to fight frequent oil fires, but the fires allowed pollution to flow into the
ditch and nearby wetlands.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in partnership with the Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality is announcing the completion of a
$16 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative sediment cleanup of the
former Zephyr Oil Refinery in Muskegon Township, Mich. This action
managed by EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office removed 50,000
cubic yards of contaminated sediment and brings the Muskegon Lake Area
of Concern, or AOC, one step closer to delisting.
The U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement defines AOCs as
designated geographic areas where beneficial uses like boating, fishing,
wildlife habitat and drinking water have been harmed by pollution. When
all the relevant beneficial uses have been restored to an AOC, then it is
"delisted." EPA and other federal and state agencies are working with local
entities to restore the 27 remaining U.S. AOCs in the Great Lakes basin,
including Muskegon Lake. Four U.S. AOCs have been delisted.
The Zephyr site cleanup at 1222 Holton Road caps a successful five-year
partnership between EPA and MDEQ. The federal and state environmental
agencies worked under the Great Lakes Legacy Act sediment cleanup
program to share the $16 million cost of the project.
The Zephyr oil refinery has been a contaminated site in the heart of the
Muskegon Lake Area of Concern. While there are still upland areas to be
remediated on-site by the state, the GLLA cleanup is a significant step
toward restoration of the AOC.
The Muskegon Lake AOC in western Michigan includes portions of the
Muskegon River, Bear Lake and Muskegon Lake. The Zephyr cleanup is a
sediment (mud) and wetland excavation, requiring the removal of refinery
waste contaminated by high lead levels and petroleum products.
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As the years went by, production switched to light oil
and other products, ultimately focusing on bulk storage.
The refinery consistently suffered pollution releases.
Over its lifetime the company spilled over 700,000
gallons of oil from its bulk storage.
Also, during frequent oil-based fires at the facility,
water mixed with oil, ash, and smoke returned to the
wetlands areas.
Future plans
Other Great Lakes Legacy Act sediment remediation
projects in the Muskegon Lake AOC have included a
2012 $12 million cleanup at a location called the
Division Street Outfall that removed 43,000 cubic yards
of sediment contaminated with mercury and polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. Another 2006 $14
million project removed 90,000 cubic yards of sediment
contaminated with heavy metals, PAHs and PCBs from
Ruddiman Creek.
Sediment is temporarily placed at the staging area for drying
(dewatering) prior to transport to a landfill for off-site disposal.
One of the goals of the project was to restore wildlife
habitat in the area. Now that contaminated material has
been removed, restoration activities such as grading,
seeding and planting are taking place.
AOC history
In the early 1900s, Muskegon County experienced a
mini oil boom. The Zephyr Oil Refinery began
production atop a bluff overlooking the Muskegon
River, converting crude oil into gasoline and naphtha.
Emergent marsh habitat restoration has begun on-site. Here
workers drill holes to pi ant vegetation. This type of habitat can
be found on the edges of streams and lakes and provides a home
or food source for a variety offish, frogs, snakes, turtles, birds
and mammals.
Michigan DEQ is now working with the U. S. Army
Corps of Engineers to clean up contamination in upland
groundwater at the Zephyr site. That phase is scheduled
to last until December 2019.
EPA and A4DEQ worked with local governments, non-govemmental
organizations, residential neighbors and businesses to keep everyone
informed and collect feedback on the Zephyr cleanup projects. Here
local stakeholders belonging to the Zephyr Outreach Team tour the
site.

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