&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Open house and public
meeting
EPA has scheduled an open house
followed by a formal public meeting
on March 15 (see locations on
back page), so you can learn more
about the latest developments in
the Kalamazoo River cleanup. At
the open house, which runs from
1 - 3:30 p.m. at the Plainwell
Community Schools Administration
Building, EPA and other officials
will be available to meet one-on-one
with the public to discuss the site
activities. At the public meeting from
6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Plainwell
High School Cafeteria, officials will
make a formal presentation about the
new agreements and details on the
cleanup plans.
If you need special accommodations
to attend the open house or public
meeting, contact EPA Community
Involvement Coordinator
Don de Blasio at the contact numbers
listed below.
Contact EPA
For more information or if you have
comments about the Kalamazoo
River cleanup, you may contact these
EPA representatives:
Don de Blasio
Community Involvement
Coordinator
(312) 886-4360 or (800) 621-8431,
weekdays 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
deblasio. don@epa.gov
Shari Kolak
Remedial Project Manager
(312) 886-6151 or (800) 621-8431,
weekdays 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
kolak.shari@epa.gov
Samuel Borries
On-Scene Coordinator
(312) 353-8360 or (800) 621-8431,
weekdays 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
borries.samuel@epa.gov
Agreements Will Boost
Kalamazoo River Cleanup
Allied Paper/Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund Site
Kalamazoo, Michigan February 2007
Cleanup work will begin soon on the Kalamazoo River, now that two
important legal agreements have been signed.
Under the two agreements, known as "administrative orders on consent,"
Millennium Holdings LLC and Georgia-Pacific Corp. will perform a
cleanup in the Plainwell Impoundment Area, a portion of the Kalamazoo
River Superfund site. The two companies will also conduct additional
sampling of the river.
The agreements, signed on February 21, 2007, are legally enforceable in court.
They are the result of a little over two years of mediated negotiations between
the two companies and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the Natural Resource
Trustees, which include the Michigan Department of Natural Resources,
MDEQ, Michigan Department of Attorney General, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Background
Since November 2004, EPA has been involved in confidential discussions
to resolve differences between the mediating parties that were delaying the
cleanup and restoration of the Kalamazoo River site. From the beginning,
one of the goals of the negotiations was to reach agreement on how best
to use the existing data to move forward with cleanup. The parties also
needed to determine whether additional investigations were needed before
EPA could develop cleanup options for the first reach of the river. One
result of the mediation was an agreement for the potentially responsible
parties (PRPs) to perform a removal action in the Plainwell Impoundment.
Another result was an agreement between EPA and the PRPs to conduct
additional sampling throughout the site.
Removal action at Plainwell Impoundment
The PRPs agreed to perform a "time critical removal action" (an
accelerated cleanup method used when quick action is needed to clean
up hazardous materials) at the Plainwell Impoundment. The Plainwell
Impoundment stretches from the Plainwell Dam upstream past U.S. 131
and includes polluted river sediment and banks and floodplain areas.
EPA and MDEQ have approved the engineering design document for the
removal action, which is attached to the cleanup agreement and available
for review in the site information repositories (see locations on Page 2).
The cleanup will include removal of about 132,000 cubic yards of waste
material, containing 4,400 pounds of PCBs, from the impoundment area.
The estimated cost of the cleanup is $21 million. If you would like more
details on this activity, please see the box on Page 3. This cleanup action
will begin this spring.
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What are PCBs?
PC I is are a group of 2<>i) chemicals llial wore
produced in llie I 111lod Slalos between ll,2l> aiid
l'^7S lor use primanl\ as indnslrial coolanls.
insulators. aiid I nhri can Is PC I is wore used 111
hiindrods ol' indiislnal aiid commercial appl icalinns
including oloclncal. hoal iranslbr. aiid Indraulic
ot|inpmonl. as plaslici/ors in painls. plastics, aiul
ruhhor products. 111 pigmenls. d\es. and carbonless
cop\ paper, and main other applications because
lhe\ were stable and resisted wear and chemical
hreakdow 11
The same chemical properties that made PC 15s
useful to industry are now responsible for persistent
levels of PC I is remaining 111 the en\ironmenl.
including the kalania/oo Ri\er PC 15s persist in
the en\ironmenl because lhe> adhere readiK to
organic material 111 sediment and soil, and lend
to build up in the fall\ tissue of fish and oilier
animals PC 15s ha\e been demonstrated to cause a
\ariel> of adverse health effecls in animals PC I is
cause cancer and non-cancer health effecls on the
immune, reproduclixe. nerxous. and endocrine
s\ stems Studies suggest PC 15s ha\e similar effecls
on humans
The differenl health effecls of PC' I is ma\ be
interrelated, as alleralions in one s\slem ma\ ha\e
significant imphcalions for llie other s\slems of
the bod\ The potenlial adverse en\ ironmenlal and
hoalth effecls of PC lis were not well underslood
until ll>77. when the go\ernmenl banned most uses
of PC lis
Additional study of Kalamazoo River
This agreement requires the PRPs to conduct additional
sampling throughout the Kalamazoo River in what
is called a supplemental remedial investigation and
feasibility study agreement. The additional sampling
will build upon data that has already been collected.
The data produced from the additional sampling will be
summarized in supplemental remedial investigation and
feasibility study reports and will help EPA determine
what, if any, additional cleanup needs to occur at the
site. The agreement allows the sampling to be phased,
so that sampling will begin at the most upstream reach
of the river at Morrow Dam and will continue in the
downstream sections once sampling is complete in a
previous reach. The estimated cost of the additional
SRI/FS work is $15 million.
The agreement requires the PRPs to start collecting
additional samples at specific locations in a 20-mile
2
upstream stretch of river between Morrow Dam and
the Plainwell Dam including a three-mile stretch of
Portage Creek. A work plan for the upstream sampling
was drafted as part of the negotiations and has been
approved by EPA. The work plan contains a detailed
description of the sampling including how and where
the samples will be collected. The work plan is attached
to the Supplemental Remedial Investigation/Feasibility
Study agreement, and is available for review in the site
information repositories. Sampling of the upstream
reach of the river will begin this spring.
Information libraries
The public can read documents related to the Kalamazoo
River Superfund site at these places:
Kalamazoo Public Library
315 S. Rose St.
Kalamazoo
Charles Ransom Library
80 S. Sherwood Ave.
Plainwell
Allegan Public Library
331 Hubbard St.
Allegan
Otsego District Library
219 S. Farmer St.
Otsego
Saugatuck-Douglas Library
10 Mixer St.
Douglas
Waldo Library
Western Michigan University
1903 W. Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo
On the Web:
epa. gov/regi on5/sites/kalproj ect/
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Details of the Plainwell Impoundment cleanup:
Remove a portion of the Plainwell Dam in order
to perform as much as possible dredging of PCB-
contaminated sediment "in the dry"
Dewater portions of the removal area to the extent
feasible using coffer dams and a water control
structure
Remove in-stream sediment within 40 feet of
existing riverbanks to a cleanup standard of either
1 part per million PCB or, to preserve the streambed,
to within six inches of the channel bottom as it
existed before the Plainwell Dam was constructed
("parts per million" is abbreviated ppm and is a tiny
amount similar to a drop of food dye in 16 gallons
of water)
Implement re-suspension control measures to
prevent migration of PCB-contaminated sediment
Remove flood plain soil where PCBs are
present above 50 ppm to achieve a cleanup goal
of 5 ppm
Create a 30-150 foot wide clean buffer along
the river
Create stable riverbanks
Remove three mid-channel areas that have PCB
concentrations greater than 50 ppm
Remove soil with PCB concentrations greater
than 4 ppm from an area of the flood plain near
residential properties upstream of U.S. 131
Dispose of the removed PCB-contaminated
sediment and soil at the Allied Paper Landfill
Create a stable, natural channel and re-vegetate
with native plants
Saugatuck
OU4:
12th Street Landfill
Former Hawthorne M II and
Georgia Pacific Kalariazoo
Morrow Darnr^
OU3:
King Highway Landfl
Kalamazoo
ALLEGAN COUNTY
Allied Paper/
Portage Creek/
Kalamazoo River
Superfund Site
Allegan Dam
Allegan City Dam
Trowbridge Dam
Otsego Dam
Otsego Clti
Dam
Plainwell Dam
PlaiirLeJI Paper Mill
'lainwell
20 0 20 40 Miles
Complex Superfund cleanup sites are divided into smaller parts called "operable units." The Kalamazoo River site has several OUs.
3
KALAMAZOO COUNTY
OU2:
Willow Blvd./A-Slte Landfill
OU1:
Allied Paper Landfill
Allied Paper Mill
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Upcoming Open House
and Public Meeting about
Kalamazoo River Superfund Site
Open House Public Meeting
(no formal presentation) .... (with formal presentation)
1 - 3:30 p.m. March 15, 2007 6:30. 8r30
Plainwell Community Schools Plainwell High School Cafeteria
Administration Building Conference Room 684 starr Rd (a|SO known as 102nd st )
600 School Drive Plainwell
Plainwell
I PA will shiiro information ahiuil two ayreements ronchoJ If\ou ha\o scientific and lochmcal questions ahout
ns a result of mod kit ion ill hotli the open house and the the P( IJ cleanup ol' the Plainw oil Impoundment
meetiny. I PA and other officials will ho a\ailahlo to answer Area and kalama/oo Ri\er. \ou ma\ contact IĶ!P.\
questions and discuss the Plainwell Impoundment Area and Remedial Project Manayer Shari Kolak (contact
Kalama/oo Ri\er site at hotli the I p m open house and the information on Paye I)
fi.^ip.m meeliii'j There w ill also he a formal presentation .... . . , , . , ,,
1 - 1 When possible, site information is also posted on the
at the meeliii'j. hut not at the open house. , , , , - , , ,
1 Internet al epa yo\ reyioio sites kalprojecl
lf\ou need special accommodations, contact Don do IJIasio
iconlacl infornialion on Pa*je 11 h\ March 12
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