vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Your opinion wanted
EPA will hold two public outreach
gatherings Jan. 10, 2011, and a
public comment period about the
draft decision for Beeland Group's
application to operate an
underground waste injection well in
Emmet County. The Agency has
tentatively approved the well
application pending review of public
comments so your opinion is
important.
The Jan. 10 event includes an
informal presentation by EPA,
Michigan and company officials
followed by a formal public hearing.
At the hearing you can make oral or
written statements for the record:
When: Monday, Jan. 10, 2011
Public Meeting- 5:30to6:30p.m.
Public Hearing - 7 to 8 p.m.
Where: Petoskey High School,
1500 Hill St., Petoskey
Written comments can be submitted
until Jan. 31, 2011:
At the Jan. 10 public
meeting.
Mail the enclosed comment
sheet to William Bates.
E-mail William at
bate s. william@epa. gov or
fax to 312-692-2580.
Via the Internet at
www. epa.gov/r5water/uic/ui
cpub.htm.
EPA will answer all comments and
make the final decision available to
the public.
(See P. 2 for more contact
information and the case number for
this well permit application)
EPA Gives Preliminary OK
To Underground Waste Well
Beeland Group Injection Well Permit Application
Emmet County, Michigan December 2010
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determined a proposed waste
injection well is safe and has issued a draft permit but will hold a public
hearing before making a final decision. Beeland Group LLC of Jackson,
Mich., a subsidiary of CMS Land Company, applied for a permit to
construct and operate a Class I injection well at CMS Land's remediation
facility. CMS is the party responsible for cleaning up liquid waste called
leachate that is coming from cement kiln dust buried under Bay Harbor
resort development. The injection well is intended as a permanent disposal
method for the leachate that currently is trucked off-site.
This draft action covers the construction and operation of a well in Emmet
County and does not regulate the proposed injection well in Alba, Mich.,
which is currently tied up in legal action.
EPA scientists and engineers decided Becland's proposal to inject the waste
deep underground can be done safely without harming drinking water
sources. EPA also determined the well will be properly constructed and will
not leak if the allowable injection pressure is not exceeded. The proposed
$2 million well will be environmentally safe, EPA believes, but the
company will not know until the well is built whether the deep rock
formation can absorb the necessary volume of leachate.
Before making a final decision on its draft determination, EPA will accept
public comments until Jan. 31, 2011, and host an official hearing to gather
public input (see left-hand box for ways von can participate in the decision-
making process).1
Beeland Group LLC - Class 1 Non-Hazardous Little Traverse Bay
Environmental Project Disposal Well No. 1
Petoshey, Emmet County. Michigan
Little Traverse Say
p
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Quarry ^ t*' Woo
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Michigan Department of Natural Resources and
Environment must also issue a permit for the well that
includes aboveground operations. Well construction
could start following final approval of the federal and
state permits.
Keeping the community safe
The Bay Harbor resort was built on top of a former
cement processing plant. Before the problem was
discovered, snowmelt and rain were picking up
contaminants from buried cement kiln dust (CKD) as
they soaked through the ground and then traveling to
Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. The CKD
leachate is caustic and unsafe to touch. CMS agreed to
take several cleanup actions including building
interception trenches that stop most of the leachate
from reaching the lake.
The liquid waste is currently trucked to an off-site
disposal facility, which creates traffic, poses accident
risks and costs a lot of money. Disposing of the
leachate at the local well would be cheaper and help the
community by protecting Little Traverse Bay from
pollution and reducing truck traffic and the risk of an
accidental spill.
More contact information
William Bales
I nderij round Injection ('milml IJranch
LIW Region 5 (\\ I -1 f\l)
77 \\ Jackson Ulul.
( luaiijo. II. (>()(>(i4-35^n
312-XNh-M |n
In correspondence. please refer In UW Drafl
Permit \ 11 -(>47-1 l-nnn I If\ou would like a
wnlleii response, please lie sure lo include a return
mail or e-niaiI address
Remember, the public comment period closes .Ian
31. :<>i I.
Read the documents
I-PA's drafl permit and other documents about the
proposed IJeeland injection well are on lile at the
I'eloskev District l.ibrar\. 5()(i L. Mitchell.
IVloske\: and EPA Region 5 Offices. 77 \\
Jackson Ulul . Chicago lf\ou \ isit Region 5. call
W illiam l*ales for an appointment. SikmO I-S43 I.
I\l hM I ii. weekda\ s. loam 5 pm
On the Web
www epa ^jq\ reuion5 water uic uicpulrhlm
Protecting drinking water
The proposed Beeland Class I well permit would only
allow for the disposal of nonhazardous leachate and
stormwater runoff from the cleanup site at Bay Harbor.
The waste will be injected into an area below the
deepest underground source of drinking water
(USDW). The well will be cased and cemented to
prevent fluid from moving into an USDW. In this
location the base of the USDW is unknown but
believed to be less than 800 feet below the surface.
During well construction the USDW base will be
pinpointed.
Site geology
EPA scientists carefully study the rock formations at a
proposed well site to determine whether they will
isolate the waste.
The injection zone where the waste will be placed lies
in the Franconia and Eau Claire formations and
Galesville and Mount Simon sandstone. At the
proposed well site, the injection zone is located
between 6,000 and 7,000 feet below the surface.
Directly above the injection zone is the confining zone,
which isolates the waste from nearby underground
water supplies. The confining zone is Utica and
Collingwood shale, Trenton, Black River, Trempealeau
and Glenwood formations, Saint Peter Sandstone and
Prairie du Chien Group, which are composed of
limestone, sandstone and shale.
Technical guidelines
Here are some of the criteria EPA examines before
acting on a permit application:
Area of Review: The AOR is a two-mile radius from
the proposed injection well. EPA found no producing,
plugged or abandoned wells within the AOR.
Maximum Injection Pressure: The proposed
maximum injection pressure in the Beeland permit
application is 258 pounds per square inch. Well
operations must stick to that limit or risk penalties
including permit revocation.
Financial Assurance: Beeland Group LLC has
demonstrated adequate financial resources to close,
plug or abandon this underground injection operation
using a state bond for $60,000.
Appeal rights
To preserve your right to appeal any final permit
decision, you must either send EPA written comments
or participate in the public hearing. The first appeal
must be made to the Environmental Appeals Board.
You may not seek legal action until all agency review
procedures have been exhausted.
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Use This Space to Write Your Comments
EPA is interested in your comments on the draft approval of a proposed Class I injection well permit
in Emmet County, Mich., for the Beeland Group LLC. You may use the space below to write your
comments. You can detach, fold, stamp and mail to EPA's William Bates or submit this form at the
Monday, Jan. 10, 2011, public hearing. Comments must be postmarked by midnight Jan. 31, 2011. If
you have any questions, please contact William directly at 312-886-6110 or toll-free at 800-621-8431,
9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., weekdays.
Name
Affiliation if any
Address
City
State
ZIP
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Beeland Group Injection Well Permit Application
Comment Sheet
fold
fold
Place
First
Class
Postage
Here
William Bates
Underground Injection Control Branch
Water Division (WU-16J)
EPA Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
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