COMSTOCK TOWNSHIP, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — State officials are launching an investigation due to concerns over pollution in the Kalamazoo River.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy issued a violation to the owners of Morrow Dam in Comstock Township after large amounts of sediment have washed into the river.
The violation, issued on July 8th, states that Eagle Creek Renewable Energy caused the mud overflow after the company lowered the lake levels to make dam repairs last year.
EGLE officials say they were not consulted about lowering the levels. Now, the build-up is reaching as far as the Kalamazoo Nature Center and environmentalists are worried that the sediment could negatively impact the stream flow and the river’s ecosystem.
Eagle Creek must now take immediate and long-term measures to contain the sediment, test the water, and fix any problems the mud has caused.
According to the violation notice issued by EGLE, the immediate corrective measures are as follows:
- Plan for immediately seeding and stabilizing the exposed bottomlands areas of the impoundment with a seed mix of Michigan species to prevent continued sedimentation from overland flow during storm events.
- Monitor and reduce offsite mobilization of sediment and turbidity during the drawdown period. Measures considered should include, but not be limited to, erosion control blankets, bioengineering, turbidity curtains, bank stabilization measures, sediment traps, re-impoundment of Morrow Lake, and/or other measures to prevent offsite migration of impounded sediments.” Measures shall include the installation of electronic turbidity meters at locations both upstream and downstream of the dam. ECRE shall work with EGLE and MDNR to establish a turbidity monitoring plan that includes both seven-day average and momentary thresholds for action. The plan should include immediate notification to EGLE and MDNR upon exceedance of thresholds, and an action plan to reduce turbidity.
- Plan for assessing and stabilizing the developing river channel that is head cutting through the sediments of the impoundment, including assessments of any lateral migration, instability of the bed and banks.
- Plan for analyzing and comparing the pre-drawdown and post-drawdown impoundment bathymetry, and an analysis of the bed and bank scour that has occurred as a result of the drawdown. ECRE must analyze and quantify the amount of sediment mobilized as a result of the extended drawdown.
- Analysis of the feasibility of raising water levels in the impoundment to a higher elevation to re-impound currently exposed areas and prevent bank and bed erosion through the channel forming erosion process now occurring.
- As part of your response, please provide details on all alternatives that exist, including re-impoundment, to achieve reduced offsite mobilization of sediment. Furthermore, provide details on when re-impoundment is anticipated to commence. This includes seeding exposed bottomlands with a mix of native plant species to prevent further sedimentation
The long-term impacts and corrective measures are as follows:
- Plan to assess the volume, location, depth and composition of sediments mobilized downstream of Morrow Dam during the drawdown.
- Surface water sampling downstream of the dam, including, but not limited to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and hydrocarbons (oil compounds)
- Plan to mitigate for the impacts to natural resources due to the drawdown, including downstream impacts to receiving waters and impacts related to the initial and extended drawdown of the impoundment.
Eagle Creek did release a statement on their website saying, “Public safety remains our top priority and we have a longstanding commitment to promoting water and dam safety. The Morrow Dam is regularly inspected and maintained in accordance with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) guidelines. An inspection of Morrow Dam’s Tainter gates in late 2019 identified areas in need of repair for both spillway gates. After consultation with federal, state, and local authorities we lowered the lake, through a controlled drawdown, to prevent further damage to the gates, minimize potential downstream effects, and facilitate gate repair.” The full statement can be found here.
