Division Street Outfall Legacy Act Project
Work wrapped up in 2012 on a project to remove contaminated sediment from a Muskegon Lake bay known as the Division Street Outfall. The Environmental Protection Agency worked with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership, the city of Muskegon and Hartshorn Marina, which is adjacent to the site.
The estimated $12 million Great Lakes Legacy Act project removed about 43,000 cubic yards of sediment contaminated with mercury and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. Legacy Act funds covered 65 percent of the cost, or about $7.8 million. MDEQ provided the required nonfederal 35 percent share, about $4.2 million.
The first phase, dredging contaminated sediment, ran from June 27 to Dec. 27, 2011. Workers mechanically dredged sediment and removed the water. The material was then loaded into sealed trucks and taken to Ottawa County Farms Landfill, a commercially licensed solid waste landfill in Coopersville, Michigan, about 25 miles southeast of the project area.
Work wrapped up in early 2012 on a Great Lakes Legacy Act project that removed contaminated sediment from a Muskegon Lake bay known as the Division Street Outfall. EPA worked with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership, the city of Muskegon and Hartshorn Marina, which is adjacent to the site. Their collaborative efforts removed about 43,000 cubic yards of sediment polluted with mercury and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Legacy Act funds covered 65 percent of the $12 million cost and MDEQ provided the required non-federal 35 percent share, about $4.2 million.
In the second phase, workers placed a 6- to 12-incb sand layer over about 60 acres of sediment in part of the bay. This sand layer will help reduce exposure of aquatic life to any remaining contaminated sediment and help the lake recover naturally. This phase began Sept. 21 , 2011 and continued through Jan. 18, 2012.
The project also included habitat restoration along a portion of the shoreline. That included removing invasive plants from the shoreline, grading the area and covering it with a special blocking fabric and with soil. The shoreline was then planted with native flower and grass seeds and native bushes.;