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Tannery Bay Update
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DEQ to test remaining sediment next year |
| By: Ronda Howell, Beacon
staff writer |
August 30,
2003 |
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See
you next year.
That was the message from staff at Michigan's Department of Environmental
Quality as they explained that dredging of Tannery Bay is complete, even
though more contaminants were found in that bay than the original scope of
work expected. |
Officials from the DEQ were in Whitehall Monday night, Aug. 25, for a
meeting hosted by the Lake Michigan Federation and the White Lake Public
Advisory Council.
Bill Creal, environmental manager, water division for DEQ, told the audience
that work has exceeded the scope first established for the project.
"Our criteria for removal was tannery waste. That included hides, hair and
purple colored sediment," he told an audience of about 75 people. "We set
standards for removal of sediment contaminated with arsenic and chromium at
20 parts per million for arsenic and 1,000 parts per million for chromium."
Creal said the state removed about 93,000 cubic yards of material that met
those standards. He told the audience there is about 4,500 cubic yards that
are to remain.
State Senator Gerald Van Woerkom asked Creal if it would be appropriate to
remove that 4,500 cubic yards now, rather than test the area in the spring
of 2004 to see if the remaining materials are toxic to aquatic life.
Creal said that the state has spent $6.5 million dollars on the project to
date and, because the work contracted through a bid process with Williams
Environmental has been completed, the state would have to pay a higher rate
to remove that final 4,500 cubic yards. Genesco, the parent company of
Whitehall Leather, paid more than $3 million towards that clean up.
"We intend to have Grand Valley State University researchers return to the
site in the spring to do testing," said Creal. "If any of those tests show
unacceptable results, we will again delineate and remediate."
Dr. Rick Rediske told the audience that tests in 1997 showed that benthic
organisms, those life forms that live on the lake bottom, died in large
numbers when exposed to sediments taken from the bay.
When asked if the state would definitely return to remove the contaminated
lake sediments if they proved to be toxic to benthic macroinvertebrates,
Creal said he would have the "appropriate staff person" whether it be the
director of the DEQ, a deputy director or other upper level managers to put
that pledge in a letter for the record.
Creal said the Tannery Bay clean up is the only site he is aware of in the
state that had generated two letters of resolution, one from the state House
of Representatives and one from the state Senate, along with local
resolutions encouraging the DEQ to complete a clean up of White Lake.
Whitehall City council members in a separate meeting last Tuesday evening
agreed to write another letter to the state encouraging the DEQ to finish
the job.
"What the state was looking at was removing an underwater landfill from
White Lake," said Mayor Pro-tem Roger Westrate. "What we want is a clean up
of all of White Lake." Council members voted to send a letter of
recommendation.
During the meeting on Monday night, Creal told audience members that
contamination that remains uplands, on land, is in the midst of study and
action will soon be starting to define and protect White Lake from any
pollutants that might enter from the soil. |
| ©White
Lake Beacon 2003 |
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