Kalamazoo River Webline

Work in Area 1

The supplemental investigations in Area 1, which began in September 2007, are complete. The project team prepared a report compiling all available data and information for Area 1 and updating the human health and ecological risk assessments, which was approved by USEPA in August 2012. The team has recently submitted the Area 1 Draft Feasibility Study identifying a series of potential cleanup alternatives for the area. USEPA is conducting a separate cleanup project for Portage Creek.

Work in Area 2

Field investigations in Area 2 were conducted during the summer and fall of 2011 and early 2012. The project team collected approximately 1,850 new soil and sediment samples. The team then prepared a report compiling all available data and information for Area 2 and updating the human heath and ecological risk assessments. This report was submitted to USEPA for review in November 2012.

Work in Area 3

Field investigations in Area 3 were conducted in summer and fall of 2012 – the project team collected more than 1,100 new soil and sediment samples. The report describing the investigation data will be submitted to USEPA in November 2013.

Work in Area 4

A Work Plan outlining the proposed approach for carrying out the supplementary remedial investigation and feasibility study activities for Area 4 was submitted to USEPA in November 2012.

Work in Areas 5-7

Planning for work in Area 5 will begin in late 2013, followed by Area 6 in 2014 and Area 7 in 2015.

Supplemental Remedial Investigations
& Feasibility Studies

Under the terms of an agreement with the USEPA reached in February 2007, Georgia-Pacific LLC began a new series of investigations of the Kalamazoo River’s fish, sediment, floodplain soils, and surface water, as well as groundwater in certain areas. The information collected during these investigations will be used to enhance the extensive database compiled since work started at the Site in 1993. After each investigation phase is complete and the associated Supplemental Remedial Investigation Report describing the information is reviewed by USEPA, the project team will move on to development of a range of potential cleanup options for the Area described in a Feasibility Study Report.

USEPA divided the Kalamazoo Site into seven distinct areas (see map below), and current plans call for the investigation and any necessary cleanup work to proceed sequentially from the most upstream (Area 1) to the most downstream (Area 7).

USEPA described the primary goals of the supplemental investigations in the Statement of Work that accompanied the February 2007 agreement. The new work is to add to existing information on:

  • the nature and extent of PCBs in sediment, soils, fish, and surface water at the Site
  • any current or potential threats to public health, welfare, or the environment posed by releases or threatened releases of PCBs from the Site
  • the understanding of each Area necessary to develop and evaluate potentially effective cleanup options

To achieve these goals, the new work in each of the seven Areas will include site reconnaissance (evaluation surveys, mapping, field assessments of conditions, etc.) and investigations of soil, sediment, fish, surface water, and ecological conditions.

Ultimately, the goal of the supplemental investigations is to assemble enough data to develop and evaluate a range of cleanup options for each Area of the Site that would be protective of both human health and the environment.

Schedule

The investigation and cleanup process at Superfund Sites is complex. Georgia-Pacific and USEPA have established a schedule for future work at the Site. Here are key upcoming schedule milestones:

  • Georgia-Pacific anticipates it will reach agreement with USEPA on final steps in Area 1 in 2013 or 2014.
  • After USEPA approves the November 2012 Area 2 Supplemental Remedial Investigation Report, Georgia-Pacific will develop a range of potential cleanup options for this stretch of the river – the reports documenting these possibilities are expected to be developed and submitted to USEPA in 2013.
  • The Supplemental Remedial Investigation Report for Area 3, which describes all the sampling data collected between the Otsego City Dam and the Otsego Dam, is scheduled to be submitted to USEPA in November 2013. After USEPA approval, Georgia-Pacific will develop the potential cleanup options in the Feasibility Study Report for the Area.
  • Field work in Area 4 is expected to begin in 2013. Given the complexity of this stretch of the river, investigation work may be conducted in two or three phases. The Supplemental Remedial Investigation Report will likely be submitted in 2015, with development of alternatives for potential cleanup work to follow.

Plans for Areas 5, 6, and 7 will be refined as the work in upstream areas progresses.

Safety Message

If you see field crews working on or along the Kalamazoo River, for your safety and the safety of our field crews, please remain a safe distance away.

wigglelines

Click on map to enlarge.

Investigation Areas of the Kalamazoo River Superfund Site