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Welcome to the Kalamazoo River Webline  Project Update: Willow Boulevard/A-Site Operable Unit Click on image to enlarge. 
Area Map: Location of the WB/A-Site OU Major construction is now complete at the Willow Boulevard/A-Site Operable Unit (WB/A-Site OU), located along the Kalamazoo River in Kalamazoo Charter Township (see map to right). Based on an agreement between Georgia-Pacific and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Georgia-Pacific constructed permanent caps for the two landfills. During the 2011 and 2012 construction seasons, Georgia-Pacific implemented a closure and restoration plan designed to isolate and consolidate remaining PCB-containing materials underneath permanent caps. These caps will protect people and the environment and prevent PCBs from going into the Kalamazoo River. Details about the plan are on the Cleanup Projects page. Read the final construction update from 2012. The closure plan includes extensive replanting and habitat restoration and enhancement because trees and vegetation were removed during construction. The project team worked with ecologists and botanists to develop a restoration plan that includes a diverse mix of native plants to help stabilize the river banks, provide habitat for native wildlife and serve as a natural barrier between the Lakewood neighborhood and the site. Restoration work at the site will be completed in 2013. View an artist′s rendering below showing habitat restoration and replanting zones. Questions about the project can be directed to Mr. Michael Berkoff of USEPA at 312.353.8983 or berkoff.michael@epa.gov.
Views of the Willow Boulevard/A-Site Operable Unit Aerial Photograph: Willow Boulevard/A-Site Operable Unit and surrounding area – May 2009 Click on image to enlarge. 
Artist′s Rendering: Willow Boulevard/A-Site Operable Unit after Construction Click on image to enlarge. 
Project Update: Supplemental Remedial Investigations and Feasibility Studies The seven Areas of Kalamazoo River Superfund Site were established to help organize investigation and cleanup work along the river. View a map of the investigation areas. Area 1 (Morrow Dam to Plainwell Dam) - Supplemental Investigation activities were completed toward the end of 2010, and the Area 1 Supplemental Remedial Investigation Report was approved by USEPA in August 2012. The project team then developed a range of potential cleanup options, which are described in the draft Area 1 Feasibility Study Report. This report was submitted to USEPA for review in October 2012. Area 2 (Plainwell Dam to Otsego City Dam) - Georgia-Pacific conducted reconnaissance efforts and soil and sediment sampling from late 2010 throughout 2011, followed by a second phase of sampling in early 2012. The project team submitted the draft Area 2 Supplemental Remedial Investigation Report to USEPA in November 2012. Work on the Feasibility Study will begin after the Supplemental Remedial Investigation Report is approved. Area 3 (Otsego City Dam to Otsego Dam) - The work plan was approved by USEPA in March 2012. Crews completed reconnaissance efforts and conducted soil and sediment sampling in Summer and Fall of 2012, and initial review of the results is underway. The Area 3 Supplemental Remedial Investigation Report is scheduled to be submitted to USEPA in November 2013. Area 4 (Otsego Dam to Trowbridge Dam) - The Area 4 Supplemental Investigation/Feasibility Study Work Plan was submitted to USEPA in November 2012, and field work is planned through 2013 and 2014. Osprey Get a New Home 
Click image to enlarge A popular pair of osprey that have become a symbol of the returning health of the Kalamazoo River got a new riverside home. In spring 2012, Kalamazoo Nature Center (KNC) staff, Georgia-Pacific, Terra Contracting, local filmmaker Matt Clysdale, and artist Brent Spink built a new nesting site for the osprey. The pair began nesting on an old power line pole on Georgia-Pacific's former Kalamazoo Mill property in 2009, which was very close to the planned route of the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail (KRVT). KNC′s Kalamazoo Valley Bird Observatory staff surveyed the grounds on Georgia-Pacific’s King Highway Landfill property across the river, and chose the new site for the osprey nesting platform. A portion of the existing osprey nest was placed on top of the new platform to entice the birds to return, and those efforts were successful – the osprey returned in early April 2012 and successfully reared three offspring. Filmmaker Matt Clysdale began filming a documentary in 2011 when the osprey pair produced three healthy chicks at the original nest location. He plans to continue filming and photographing the birds. Fish Consumption Advisories for the Kalamazoo River The Michigan Department of Community Health issues a Michigan Family Fish Consumption Guide that includes recommendations on ways to "get the benefits of eating fish without the risks from chemical contamination." Tips on fish preparation methods are included along with specific fish consumption advice by water body, fish species, and fish length. The MDCH′s recommendations for the Kalamazoo River are listed on pages 38 and 39 of the guide. |
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For project information, contact the Kalamazoo River Project Team at Kalamazooquestions@AMEC.com. |
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