ACTION ALERT: Ground Water Contamination Reaches Bay

The Watershed Center recently learned that low levels of ground water contamination from a Superfund site in Greilickville have reached Grand Traverse Bay. This was discussed at a US EPA public meeting on November 29 where various cleanup options were presented for the former Grand Traverse Overall Supply (GTOS) company, an industrial dry-cleaning facility located on Cherry Bend Road. We have since been communicating with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in order to get a better sense of DEQ’s water quality monitoring results at the site.

The fact that even low levels of contamination have reached the Bay is a significant concern. Between the mid-1950s and 1977, the operators of GTOS discharged wastewater from laundering and dry cleaning operations into a dry well and lagoons on the site. This indicates the potential for 20+ years’ worth of contamination in the groundwater and we are likely just now seeing the beginning of that plume reach the Bay.

EPA is seeking public comment on the most appropriate method to clean up the site and comments are due by December 31. EPA’s recommended cleanup method is groundwater extraction and treatment and we believe as well that this is the most appropriate method. However, EPA staff must take this recommendation to a Superfund panel within EPA that must approve this option and allocate funding ($1.8 million) to implement this option.

This is why public comment is so important! We must show EPA that there is significant public support for groundwater extraction and treatment so that the agency does the right thing.

Please send a letter or e-mail to US EPA. Here are some key points to include in your comments:

• Urge EPA to implement the groundwater extraction and treatment option at the Grand Traverse Overall Supply Superfund site in Greilickville, Michigan (labeled as Ground Water Cleanup Alternative 3 in EPA’s proposal for the site).
• Urge EPA to design the cleanup to ensure that the entire volume of the contamination plume is treated and therefore the risks to ground water, Cedar Creek and Grand Traverse Bay are significantly reduced.
• Urge EPA to enhance its monitoring activities on site to ensure that the cleanup is successful.
• Urge EPA to discharge the treated ground water to the local public sewage treatment system, and not to Cedar Creek.
• Personalize your comments, such as explaining why Grand Traverse Bay is important to you.
• Include your name and address.

You can mail, e-mail or fax your comment. Send your comment by midnight on December 31 to: Linda Martin, Remedial Project Manager, US EPA Region V (SR-6J), 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604, Fax: 312.886.4071, martin.lindab@epa.gov.

Let’s give the gift of clean water to the Bay this holiday season! Please spread the word and ask your friends and family to also submit comments to EPA. Thank you very much!

Link to EPA’s project website

The Watershed Center is home to the Grand Traverse Baykeeper® and a proud member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a grassroots organization with more than 125 local Waterkeepers around the nation.

To report observations of immediate threats – such as spills of hazardous wastes or toxic materials onto the ground or in the water – we encourage a phone call to the 24-hour emergency dispatcher at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s Pollution Alert System:

1-800-662-9278

There has been increased public concern this past summer involving the health of our local beaches. This summer TWC conducted E.Coli testing at 9 area beaches and some elevated results led to swimming advisories being issued for some beaches. High E.Coli results are typically associated with heavy rainfalls following dry periods, resulting in a flushing of the stormwater system into the Bay, as well as strong onshore winds that stir up the near shore sediment and sand on beaches.

As a result TWC has started working with the City of Traverse City and Grand Traverse County to discuss our next steps to keeping our beaches healthy. We are launching our Action Plan for Healthy Beaches this month and will be working hard this next year to improve water quality at our beaches.

The Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Protection Plan has been updated to comply with newly implemented EPA guidelines. The end result is a state and federal approved watershed protection plan that is a warehouse of information on how to protect our watershed. Find more information about the plan here.

We recently completed work on a comprehensive strategic planning process for our organization we call our "Blueprint for Clean Water". We now have revamped mission, vision, and value statements, along with a clearly defined set of outcomes for the watershed that we wish to achieve as an organization.

The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay is transforming its Stream Search Program into an Adopt-A-Stream Program! Held twice a year for the past four years, Stream Search has been very successful in providing valuable water quality monitoring data, educating the public, and involving local citizens in caring for their watershed. 100 local citizens have volunteered their time to become “citizen scientists” under the program.

Turning Success into Increased Community Involvement
The Watershed Center is planning on transforming Stream Search by making it an Adopt-A-Stream program. People will be able to adopt streams in their own backyard or other favorite spot in the Grand Traverse Bay Watershed. This will give people a sense of ownership, thereby raising awareness of water quality issues, increasing commitment and changing behavior to protect water resources. This will also enable us to monitor more streams throughout the watershed.

Anyone can adopt a stream! Families, schools, neighborhood associations, service organizations, realtors, businesses, non-profits, the news media, people who live along streams, and any other citizens who care about the deep link between clean water and our economic vitality and quality of life are welcome to adopt a stream.

Be on the lookout for more information about this in the coming months. For more information on how your group can adopt a stream, please contact us at 231.935.1514 or info@gtbay.org.