Kalamazoo River Environment
Natural Resource Damage Assessment

Industrial activities on the Kalamazoo River and Portage Creek released polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to those waterways and the surrounding environment.&nbsp As a result, the U.S. EPA designated areas downstream of the releases of PCBs as the Allied Paper, Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund Site.

The U.S. EPA and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality are working to clean up the contaminants in the river system and/or or halt the risk from them in some way. For the current status of the cleanup process, visit EPA's Kalamazoo Project website or MDEQ's website on the Allied Paper, Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund Site.

Meanwhile, the Trustees for natural resources are conducting a Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA). &nbsp In the NRDA, the Trustees will determine the amount of restoration needed both to return the Kalamazoo River Environment to what it would have been like if the contaminants had not been released and to compensate the public for the loss of use and enjoyment of their natural resources resulting from the contaminants. &nbsp In order to determine the amount of restoration and compensation required, the Trustees first evaluate the amounts and types of injuries to natural resources that result from the contaminants in the environment.&nbsp Injuries include things like poor reproduction in bald eagles and mink and fish consumption advisories for anglers in the area.

We are making progress toward restoration of the Kalamazoo River!  The River has begun returning to its historical channel at the Plainwell Dam site! The Service and our co-trustees negotiated with the paper companies and U.S. EPA to combine dam removal and river restoration with the PCB removal action that is underway in the former Plainwell Impoundment of the river.  This photo shows the removal of the first stop log from the temporary water control structure that will allow a controlled drawdown into the remediated historical channel.  The lowered water level will also make the rest of the PCB removal process easier.  Cleaned banks are being revegetated with native grasses, shrubs and trees by JFNew and we expect fairly rapid colonization of the benthic communities from upstream gravel beds and riffle areas.

The Trustee agencies for this NRDA are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (added by Governor Granholm on September 29, 2004), the Michigan Department of the Attorney General, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Reports

The links below will allow you to view the Trustees' reports concerning the Kalamazoo River Environment Natural Resource Damage Assessment.

Most reports will be in PDF format and you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them. Some files may be large so note the file size before downloading.

Stage 1 Assessment Report for the Kalamazoo River Environment (link to download page)

Fact Sheet for Stage 1 Assessment Report for the Kalamazoo River Environment (391k pdf)

Presentation on Stage 1 Assessment Report from public meeting on March 15, 2005. (1,100k pdf)

Press Release for Stage I Assessment Report

Freshwater Mussels of the Kalamazoo River, Michigan, from Battle Creek to Saugatuck (328k pdf) by Renee Sherman Mulcrone and Charles Mehne, DVM

Draft Stage 1 Assessment Plan for Kalamazoo River Environment Site (642k pdf)
We accepted public comments on this draft plan through January 16, 2001.

Preassessment Screen and Determination (600k pdf)

Contacts

If you have any questions concerning information found in any of these reports or any other comments related to the Kalamazoo River Environment NRDA, contact us via email or telephone:

Lisa Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, East Lansing Field Office, 517-351-8324

Nan Leemon, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, 517-373-4828

Todd Goeks, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 312-886-7527

Georgia Parham, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 3 External Affairs, 812-334-4261 ext. 203

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Links

Region 3 NRDA Homepage

Region 3 Contaminants Program Homepage

Other Links

For more information on the Superfund cleanup process at this site, visit EPA's website on the Kalamazoo Project or MDEQ's webpage on the Allied Paper, Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund Site

For more information on NRDA in general, visit Department of Interior's NRDA Homepage

Kalamazoo River as a Great Lakes Area of Concern, U.S. EPA's website on the AOC and RAP process

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