Under the direction of the U.S. Environmental protection agency (EPA), the cercla process is generally moving from upstream to downstream along the kalamazoo river and consists of a combination of…

This $100,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Program (CFDA 15.658) will fund the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (MDEGLE) to collect sediment core samples and conduct probing transects upstream of the Allegan City Dam along the Kalamazoo River. The data collected will characterize the sediments down to pre-dam historic riverbed levels, which is necessary to inform the design of a sediment removal and river restoration project as the EPA oversees remediation efforts in this area. The additional sediment data will help identify the pre-dam riverbed morphology and composition so the project can account for sediments that may mobilize following dam removal and PCB-contaminated sediment dredging. This award will provide essential data to support the restoration planning for this section of the Kalamazoo River.

Under the direction of the U.S. Environmental protection agency (EPA), the cercla process is generally moving from upstream to downstream along the kalamazoo river and consists of a combination of time-critical removal actions and remedial actions targeting reaches of the river that are separated by a series of dams. As EPA oversees planning for the allegan city DAM reach of the river (area 5 of operable unit 5), the trustees have identified a need for data that EPA does not plan to collect under its authorities, but which are essential to the design of a sediment removal alternative that includes both DAM removal and river channel restoration. The purpose of the NRD data collection is to characterize the sediments down to pre-DAM historic riverbed levels deeper than the expected depth of PCB concentrations that exceed epas thresholds for removal. This is necessary so the project design can account for the amount and type of sediments expected to mobilize following the removal of sediments required by EPA based strictly on PCB remedial target concentrations, particularly when that removal is combined with gradual lowering of water levels and removal of the aging DAM. The cercla process at previous areas of the river has included good characterization of the sediments to be removed because of exceedances of remedial action objectives but not the sediments below that can mobilize downriver following the removal action and DAM removal. These additional data are required to inform restoration designs by identifying the pre-DAM riverbed characteristics (riffle pool locations, thalweg location, slope of riverbed, sand gravel cobble composition) and determine the quality of the sediments that could be released downstream. The trustees are requesting funding to collect sediment core samples for analysis and to complete probing transects upstream of the allegan city DAM. Probing transects will be completed first to identify the pre-DAM riverbed morphology and sediment thickness which will then assist with directing core sample locations. Core samples will be physically and chemically characterized to determine whether they can be allowed to mobilize downstream or will require active management during DAM removal.