Sep. 29, 2009 (PR Newswire) --
PETOSKEY, Mich., Sept. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CMS Land Company reports that significant progress has been made in addressing environmental issues related to the defunct cement plant that once operated on the shores of Little Traverse Bay. The abandoned site was redeveloped in 1994 into what are now Resort Township's East Park and the Bay Harbor Resort.
August water monitoring results verify that pH readings above the action level of nine have been virtually eliminated and human health and safety concerns have been effectively addressed. In August, only one reading above nine (9.12, similar to baking soda) was recorded in an isolated area west of the Bay Harbor golf course clubhouse. These results build on months of increasingly positive results and are a dramatic contrast to the dozens of pH readings above nine that were recorded in 2005, before CMS Land began its work at the site.
"These important environmental accomplishments are the result of a lot of hard work and substantial investment," said CMS Land President David Mengebier. "The June reopening of East Park, the lifting of several health advisories, and these most recent results demonstrate that the remedies we have installed over the past five years are working well."
In reporting these results, CMS Land also noted two important milestones in completing work at the site: review and approval by regulators of the Remedial Investigation/Alternative Evaluation (RI/AE) studies for East Park and the Bay Harbor development and continued work to identify a local option for disposing of water collected at the site.
In late summer, CMS Land submitted the RI/AEs to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The RI/AEs use established scientific processes to evaluate the effectiveness of both current and long-term remedies at the site. The EPA and DEQ will consider public input while reviewing the document and then can approve the document or request additional study. Once approved, the RI/AEs will outline the final work involved with the project.
"We believe we have done an excellent job so far. We are hopeful that the RI/AEs will be reviewed and approved in a timely manner so that we can build on our progress and bring the project to a successful conclusion," said Mengebier.
In addition, work is underway to identify a local remedy to dispose of the water collected from East Park and Bay Harbor. The collection and treatment of large quantities of groundwater is the primary method CMS Land is using to address pH and mercury in water from the site. Different options under review would safely treat the water and release it to the lake, pump the water into the City of Petoskey's water treatment system for treatment, or involve the construction of a local disposal well near the site. CMS Land is currently shipping up to 27 trucks containing 11,500 gallons of water a day to Traverse City and Johannesburg for disposal.
"Trucking the water, because of its increased public safety and transportation risks, environmental concerns, and cost, is not a realistic long-term remedy," Mengebier said. "We absolutely need - and are encouraged that the public has expressed a desire - to identify a local solution to a local concern."
East Park and Bay Harbor were reclaimed from the site of an abandoned limestone quarry and cement plant site covering 1,200 acres, including five miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. The brownfield site was redeveloped in 1994 and was the largest reclamation project in North America.
While no longer a partner in the project that redeveloped the site, CMS Land agreed to address certain environmental issues associated with the cement kiln dust left behind by the cement plant. CMS Land has worked for five years and spent more than $90 million on the Little Traverse Bay Environmental Project to date and has achieved significant environmental progress in the protection of Little Traverse Bay.
CMS Land is a subsidiary of CMS Energy. CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS) is a Michigan-based company that has as its primary business operations an electric and natural gas utility, natural gas pipeline systems and independent power generation.
For more information about the work done at the park as part of the Little Traverse Bay Environmental Project, please visit: www.protectingourbay.com
SOURCE CMS Energy
