Though a presidential executive order Jan. 24 barred the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from awarding any new contracts or grants, the agency’s work along the Kalamazoo River continues.
The cleanup of PCB-contaminated soil in the riverbanks upriver of the Otsego Township dam is being funded by the companies that inherited the responsibility for the pollution.
Work on the first area of the $25 million project wrapped up late last year. The next area of work will be 900 feet of riverbank on the south side of the river ending where M-89 crosses the river just west of Otsego, visible to drivers as they cross that bridge.
On-scene coordinator Paul Ruesch has said the scene will require an excavator floating in the water and extensive reinforcing of the river bank to reduce water erosion.
Ruesch said crews early last week were in the process of clearing land for future staging areas and temporary roads for equipment to excavate the remaining seven sections of riverbank in the project.
Work is tentatively scheduled through spring 2018. Overall, the project will address a 1.7-mile stretch of the river between the Otsego Township dam and the M-89 bridge.
It is expected to excavate 120,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil. The end result is a rebuilt riverbank with a concentration of PCB no higher than 5 parts per million in the soil.
“I do not anticipate any interruption in our project,” he said.
Contact Ryan Lewis at rmlewis@allegannews.com or (269) 673-5534.
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