Remediation Plans Progress On Lower Menominee River

Updates on two remediation plans highlighted the Thursday, July 19 meeting of the Lower Menominee River Area of Concern Citizens Advisory Committee meeting.

Jim Cox of Ansul/Tyco reported the planned dredging in the Tyco Remediation Plan began on July 10. There are 3 main contractors working on the dredging, which employ 40-45 people and 17 local residents have been hired by the contractors.

Cox added that about 950 cubic yards of material have been removed from the river bottom thus far. The material is being tested, treated and dried before it will be transported to the landfill site. During the dredging operation, Tyco has been in constant contact with local industries using the river so that the dredging operations and shipping stay out of each other’s way. Cox stated the EPA has had nothing but positive responses so far for the work being done.

A question was asked about possibly lighting all the buoys around the dredging operation and the person stated it looked like none of the orange buoys were lit. Cox responded that bigger, lighted buoys are being brought in so that safety on the river, especially at night, can be maintained.

Jennifer Short from Wisconsin Public Service updated the sediment remediation plans for the site formerly known as the Marinette Manufactured Gas Plant. She introduced Brian Bartoszek, WPS representative in charge of the remediation.

Bartoszek explained the history of the site in question. The Marinette Manufactured Gas plant was in operation from 1901 to 1960 and was operated by the Marinette Lighting Company on the site of what is now the Marinette Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Manufactured gas plants were part of the gas production process from the 1800s to the mid-1900s, pretty much the ‘pre natural gas’ era. Called “Town Gas,” manufactured gas was usually produced from coal and was used for things like lighting street lamps and eventually for cooking. The process of making the gas can basically be described as decomposition. The gas portion was purified before it was distributed. The by-products of tar and coke were used for various things, but sometimes they were disposed of or stored on the property. In some cases this led to an impact on the soil, groundwater and sediment.

Bartoszek stated that the Marinette plant was pretty good about not polluting, but it has been discovered that some tar and residuals have been discovered in and on the bottom of the river. The majority of evidence is found in the slough that runs from the old plant site to the river.

Bartoszek continued that most of the contaminants were removed when the Waste Water Treatment Plant was constructed, but testing has shown that residuals are still observed in the Menominee River. WPS has done sediment sampling and has designed a remediation plan, which has been submitted to the state and federal government for approval.

Details of the plan include a coffer dam from the east edge of the Nest Egg Marina property to the west edge of the Marinette Marine property. About 5000 cubic yards of material will be removed and dewatered. The water removed will be treated on-site and returned to the river. The plan includes using the Boom Landing Boat Launch area as a dewatering site, thus meaning it will be closed during the duration of the project. Another detail of the plan includes capping the site with sand. Any contaminated material will be hauled to an approved landfill.

Once approval is given for the plan, there will be a 30 day public comment period. Bartoszek said that WPS is hoping the plan will be approved in the next few weeks and that work on the site can begin in early September. If that is the case, the work should be completed by December and all the equipment removed by the start of the spring walleye season.

Jeff Knoop from The Nature Conservancy presented a discussion he called “Conservation Easements 101.” A conservation easement is a restriction placed on a piece of property to protect its associated resources.

The easement is either voluntarily donated or sold by the landowner and constitutes a legally binding agreement that limits certain types of uses or prevents development from taking place on the land in perpetuity while the land remains in private hands.

Conservation easements protect land for future generations while allowing owners to retain many private property rights and to live on and use their land, at the same time potentially providing them with tax benefits.

In a conservation easement, a landowner voluntarily agrees to sell or donate certain rights associated with his or her property - often the right to subdivide or develop - and a private organization or public agency agrees to hold the right to enforce the landowner’s promise not to exercise those rights. In essence, the rights are forfeited and no longer exist.

An easement selectively targets only those rights necessary to protect specific conservation values, such as water quality, migration routes, scenic value, historic value, agricultural value, forestry value, recreation and trail value, and is individually tailored to meet a landowner’s needs. Because the land remains in private ownership, with the remainder of the rights intact, an easement property continues to provide economic benefits for the area in the form of jobs, economic activity and property taxes.

A conservation easement is legally binding, whether the property is sold or passed on to heirs. Because use is permanently restricted, land subject to a conservation easement may be worth less on the open market than comparable unrestricted and developable parcels. Sometimes conservation easements will enable the landowner to qualify for tax benefits in compliance with Internal Revenue Service rules.

The Nature Conservancy is obligated to oversee and enforce the terms of the easement. As a result, a representative of the Conservancy will periodically schedule visits to the property to make sure the land continues to be used according to the easement.

For more information on conservation easements and the Nature Conservancy, please visit their website: www.nature.org.

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