OTSEGO, Mich. (AP) — Federal officials are monitoring a project designed to remove toxic chemicals from a section of the Kalamazoo River.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the cleanup will focus on a 1.7-mile area between the state highway 89 bridge and the old Otsego Township Dam in Allegan County.
Crews will remove sediment and riverbank soil laced with PCBs. They’ll also stabilize riverbanks to prevent future contamination and erosion and will dispose of contaminated materials in approved landfills.
After the contaminated material is removed, workers will perform tests and put in clean soil and plants.
A public meeting is scheduled for Aug. 23 to discuss the project and the broader cleanup of the Allied Paper-Portage Creek-Kalamazoo River Superfund site. The area was contaminated by paper mills and other factories.
