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Detroit River's Black Lagoon
photo gallery
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available as a free download, to view some of the
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a link to the free Acrobat Reader.
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Black Lagoon Sediment Clean-up Project
View Fact Sheet (PDF 451kb, 2
pages) |
The Black Lagoon on the Detroit River in Trenton, Michigan, was the first contaminated sediment site to be cleaned up under the
Great Lakes Legacy Act. This is a joint project between U.S.
EPA - Great Lakes National Program Office and Michigan Department of
Water Quality - Water Bureau, funded by the
Great Lakes Legacy Act and the
Clean Michigan Initiative of 1998.
Site preparation began at the lagoon and the CDF in late
September of 2004. Project offices were set up in the City of
Trenton's Meyer-Ellias Memorial Park on Helen Avenue. The Park
serves as a staging area for equipment and personnel.
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Site preparation begins at the Pointe
Mouille Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) |
Site preparation continues at the Pointe
Mouille Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) |
Mechanical dredging continues at Black
Lagoon |
Installing the silt curtain at Black
Lagoon prior to dredging |
Photo by Robert Burns, Detroit
Riverkeeper
Silt curtains (yellow) at Black Lagoon are keeping sediments out
of the main stream of the River (April 2005) |
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Click on photo to view larger
image |
Dredging began at the site in mid-October. Approximately
90,000 cubic yards of sediment contaminated with PCBs, oil and
grease, mercury and other heavy metals from the bottom of the lagoon
will be removed as part of this project.
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Contaminated sediment dredged from Black
Lagoon |
Mechanical dredging at Black Lagoon |
Mechanical dredging continues at Black
Lagoon |
Filling the barge with contaminated
sediment from Black Lagoon |
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Click on photo to view
larger image |
Once the sediment is removed, it will be disposed of in the Pointe
Mouille Confined Disposal Facility (CDF), which is operated by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Initially, material was barged
to the CDF, but due to ice blocking entrance to the CDF,
transportation changed to trucking in January.
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Contaminated sediment from Black Lagoon is
barged down the Detroit River to the CDF |
Contaminated sediment from the Black
Lagoon is being transferred from the barge to a dump truck at
the CDF |
Contaminated sediment from Black Lagoon is
placed in a specially designed cell at the CDF lined with
geotextile material |
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Click on photo to view
larger image |
Several techniques are in place to guard against any accidental
release of pollution. For example, a device called a "silt
curtain" is placed around the dredging area to prevent contaminated
sediment from drifting away. As an additional precaution,
several oil spill booms will help contain and collect any oil
released as a result of the dredging. Throughout the project,
EPA will monitor the air around the site regularly to ensure the
safety of workers and those who live nearby. Monitors will
specifically test for contaminants known to be in the sediment in
Black Lagoon. Also the water at locations upstream and
downstream of the lagoon are tested daily to be sure material is not
moving away from the site due to the dredging.
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Yellow silt curtain in place at Black
Lagoon |
Monitoring at Black Lagoon |
In-situ turbidity meter upstream of Black
Lagoon |
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Click on photo to view
larger image |
The approximate mass of contaminants removed from the Black Lagoon
as a result of this project:
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Contaminant
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Amount of Contaminant
(pounds) |
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PCBs
Mercury
Oil and Grease
Lead
Zinc |
160
360
300,000
38,000
140,000 |
Once the dredging is complete, the bottom of the lagoon will then
be covered with sand and stone. The City of Trenton plans to
redevelop the area including construction of a marina. The
clean-up is expected to be completed in summer 2005.
For more information on the project, view the "Fact Sheet: Dredging Project Set to
Start; Legacy Act Funding a First".
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Environmental dredging
equipment is being set up at the Black Lagoon project site
Click on photo to view
larger image |
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From Left to Right:
Larry Arreguin, Deputy Director of Environmental and Legislative
Affairs, Governor Granholm's Southeast Michigan Office; Lt.
Colonel Donald P. Lauzon, Commander, Detroit District, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers; U.S. EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt; Mayor
Gerald Brown |
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U.S. EPA Administrator
Mike Leavitt (facing) on-site, looking at a sample of Black
Lagoon mud with Marc Tuchman (GLNPO)
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Click on photo to view
larger image |
The Great Lakes Legacy Act Project
Agreement for the Black Lagoon sediment remediation project was
signed on September 14, 2004.
| For more information, please
contact: |
Marc Tuchman
U.S. EPA - GLNPO
Tel: (312) 353-1369
Email: (tuchman.marc@epa.gov) |
Mike Alexander
MDEQ
Tel: (517) 335-4189
Email: (alexandm@michigan.gov) |
or visit the Great Lakes Legacy Act
website.
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