Overview
Injuries at the the North Bronson Industrial Area Superfund Site resulted from hazardous substances discharged at and from the site. The hazardous substances causing injuries were primarily metals, including chromium, from metal plating operations. Contamination downstream was so severe that cows died along the stream. Site investigations and cleanup are ongoing under the direction of the U.S. EPA.
Settlement
In February 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) reached a natural resource damage settlement for the Superfund Site. The Service, on behalf of the Department of Interior, was the sole settling natural resource Trustee. The funds available from the settlement for restoration activities total approximately $100,000.
Restoration
The Final Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment describe the Service's selected alternative to restore natural resources injured by hazardous substances discharged at or from the site. Injury at the site resulted from both direct toxicity to natural resources and through toxicity to, and disruption of, supporting habitat. Based on an evaluation of various alternatives, the preferred restoration alternative for these settlement funds consisted of off-site restoration projects.
Between 2004 and 2016, the Service's Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program partnered with 12 private landowners, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the Branch County Conservation District, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and several local contractors to restore 40.1 acres of wetland, 106 acres of grassland, 1.9 acres of forest, and 8,700 feet of stream habitat in the Swan Creek watershed using Natural Resource Damage Assessment funds from the settlement reached in February 2000.
Available Reports
- Final Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the North Bronson Industrial Site Bronson, Michigan (December 27, 2007)
- Final Restoration Report for the North Bronson Project in the Swan Creek Watershed (March 2018)*
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is in the process of updating webpages, so some content that was previously available is temporarily unavailable. For a copy of documents with an asterisk (*), please contact Lisa Williams.
Contact Information
