U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5 Office of Public Affairs
\^Lil Kalamazoo River Superfund Project
Fact
Sheet
The Kalamazoo River Cleanup
March 2002
Kalamazoo River
Superfund Project
Community
Involvement Team
od Paper, IncJPortago Ci
Superfund Site/Phaie 1 Stu.
REFERENCE AREA
Team members may be reached directly by
E-mail, by phone at the numbers below,
or by calling toll-free (800) 621-8431.
For toll-free calls,
enter the appropriate extension at the prompt.
Stuart Hill, Team Leader
(312) 886-0689 Ext. 60689
E-mail hill.stuart@epa.gov
Cheryl Allen
(312) 353-6196 Ext. 36196
E-mail allen.cheryl@epa.gov
Don de Blasio
(312) 886-4360 Ext. 64360
E-mail deblasio.don@epa.gov
Dave Novak
(312) 886-7478 Ext. 67478
E-mail novak.dave@epa.gov
You may send mail to any team members at:
U.S. EPA
Office of Public Affairs (P-19J)
77 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604
EPA has assumed responsibility for a Superfund cleanup on the
Kalamazoo River. The Allied Paper Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo
River Superfund Site, referred to here as the Kalamazoo River
Superfund Project, stretches 80-miles from Saugatuck on the west
to about 10 miles east of Battle Creek, near Sunrise Heights.
In July 2001, EPA took over as lead agency for the project at the
request of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality,
which will continue to have a significant role in the appropriate
cleanup.
The Kalamazoo River Superfund Project runs through two counties
in southwestern Michigan: Allegan and Kalamazoo (see the map
on page 4). The site includes five disposal areas, six paper mill
properties, the Kalamazoo River, a tributary of Lake Michigan that
flows northwest, and Portage Creek, a tributary of the Kalamazoo
River that flows north.
The project includes three miles of Portage Creek from Cork Street
to where it joins with the Kalamazoo River; and from this confluence
downstream to the Allegan City Dam. Because PCBshave migrated
downstream, the Superfund remedial investigation includes the area
to the mouth of the Kalamazoo River at Lake Michigan, about 80
miles.
PCBs, which are classed as probable human carcinogens, are
mixtures of synthetic and organic chemicals with properties
ranging from oily liquids to waxy solids. PCBs were used in
hundreds of industrial and commercial applications, including
electrical, heat transfer, and hydraulic equipment; as plasticizers in
paints, plastics and rubber products; in pigments, dyes and
carbonless copy paper, and many other applications. EPA banned
PCB production in 1977 because of their adverse effects on health
and the environment.
Background
Over the years, the Kalamazoo River has been used as a power
source for paper mills built along the river and as a disposal site
for the paper mills and communities adjacent to the river. The
river, like many other rivers in industrialized areas, was used to
dispose of wastes such as sawdust and animal carcasses. By 1869,
its water quality was so bad that many communities along the river
stopped using it as a source of drinking water.
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By the early 1950s, fish kills and odor problems plagued the river due to waste dumped in the river by
the adjacent mills. In 1971, PCBs were identified as a problem in the Kalamazoo River. In 1978, the
Michigan Department of Public Health issued an advisory warning against eating fish from the river
because they were contaminated with PCBs. In 1984, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources
(now MDEQ) began a long-term project to clean up the river after it was listed in the Michigan
Environmental Response Act.
In 1990, in response to the quantity and extent of PCB contamination, this site was officially included on
the National Priorities List under provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as Superfund.
The state identified four companies potentially responsible for the contamination:
• Millennium Holdings Inc.
• Georgia-Pacific Corp.
• Plainwell Paper Inc.
• Fort James Corp.
The four parties together are known as the Kalamazoo River Study Group. The state has entered into a
settlement with the responsible parties under which they agree to conduct and pay for studying clean-up
options for the site, as well as reimburse the state for oversight. The agreement, embodied in an
"administrative order on consent," is legally enforceable in court.
PCB, the primary contaminant, was introduced to Portage Creek and the Kalamazoo River through
discharges and disposal of contaminated paper residue by the paper industry. For example, Allied Paper
Inc. has operated paper mills in Kalamazoo since 1925. From 1957 to 1971, Allied, a subsidiary of SCM
Corp., recycled and deinked paper, including carbonless copy paper, which contained 3.4 percent PCB by
weight.
EPA and the state have targeted five areas, referred to as operable units, that contain millions of cubic
yards of PCB-contaminated waste with an estimated 350,000 pounds of PCBs in river sediment. The
contaminated sediment has been largely deposited in four impoundment areas. Numerous measures have
been taken to clean up and reduce PCB releases from the disposal areas.
A summary of the activities at the operable units is in development and will be
presented in another fact sheet.
Communities backgrounds
The Kalamazoo River, or a tributary of it, crosses through many communities, which include the
townships of Allegan, Cooper, Gun Plain, Kalamazoo, Otsego, Saugatuck, Trowbridge and Valley, as
well as the cities of Allegan, Fennville, Kalamazoo, Otsego, Parchment, Plainwell, Portage, and
Saugatuck.
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The river runs through the northeastern portion of the City of Kalamazoo, the largest community in the
project area. Kalamazoo, known as an educational and cultural center, is surrounded by the cities of
Portage and Parchment and the towns of Cooper and Kalamazoo.
Downstream of Kalamazoo are Plainwell and Otsego, known as the "Twin Cities." Each of these cities
is supported by major employers, which include a paper manufacturer in Plainwell and a brass fittings
manufacturer in Otsego. These cities are surrounded by the townships of Gun Plain, Otsego and
Trowbridge.
Allegan, county seat of Allegan County, is downstream of the Twin Cities. Allegan, the largest city in
the county, serves as a commercial and financial center forthe surrounding townships, including Allegan
and Valley. Lake Allegan, the largest impoundment on the Kalamazoo, is in this area.
The next community downstream is Fennville, an agricultural community often called "Goosetown"
because of the large population of Canada geese that make 1heir temporary home at Fennville State
Game Area. Although it is not directly on the Kalamazoo River, Fennville residents enjoy the benefits
the river provides, such as recreational opportunities.
The City of Saugatuck is the last community the Kalamazoo River passes through before it enters Lake
Michigan. Saugatuck is a resort community on Lake Michigan that attracts thousands of temporary
residents to summer cottages and other resort facilities. Marinas and other recreational services are also
important in this area. The town of Saugatuck is outside the city limits.
The communities within the project area have experienced various amounts of growth over the past 10
years. The town of Valley experienced the greatest growth, almost 60 percent, followed closely by
Fennville with 43 percent growth. Otsego, however, had an 18 percent population decline. Nine of the
16 communities experienced a growth rate below the state's rate of about 7 percent between 1990 and
2000.
Open office hours
EPA will hold open office hours, which will give the public an opportunity to meet community
involvement coordinators, ask questions, and express their suggestions and concerns about the project.
The open office hours will be held, as needed, in various places throughout the project area
Information repositories
Six information repositories, where project information is available, have been set up in community
libraries, which are listed on page 5. EPA will organize each of these repositories to make it easier for
the public to use.
internet
EPA has set up a Web site that it will maintain and regularly update. The Web site will contain
information about activities and upcoming meetings, fact sheets, news releases, and technical documents.
MDEQ has been maintaining a Web site. The addresses for both are on page 5.
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For more information:
Information Repositories
where you can find more information on the
Kalamazoo River Superfund Project
Kalamazoo Public Library
315 South Rose
Kalamazoo, MI
Charles Ransom Library
180 South Sherwood
Plainwell, MI
Otsego District Library
219 South Farmer Street
Otsego, MI
Waldo Library
Western Michigan University
1903 West Michigan Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI
Allegan Public Library
331 Hubbard Street
Allegan, MI
On the Internet:
Saugatuc k-Doug las Library
10 Mixer Street
Douglas, MI
Federal: www.epa.gov/region5/sites/kalproject/
State: www.deq.state.mi.us/erd/k-zoo/main.htm
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