In 1987 the River Raisin was designated a Great Lakes AOC with PCBs sediment being the primary chemical of concern. In 1997, Ford Motor Company removed 20,000 cubic yards of highly PCB contaminated sediment from the AOC, under USEPA order. From 1998-2002, the USEPA and MDEQ conducted post-remediation sediment monitoring finding high levels of PCB remained. PCB contamination caused the following Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs): Restrictions on Fish/Wildlife Consumption; Bird/Animal Deformities/Reproduction Problems; and Restrictions on Dredging.
To address the BUIs, the Great Lakes Legacy Act Agreement executed on 4/03/12 providing $17.3 M for the remediation project. The USEPA Contaminated Sediment Project includes excavation of the Sterling State Park Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) then filling the CDF with PCB contaminated sediment from the AOC. The use of the CDF required the removal of an equal volume (106,000 CY) to preserve the capacity of the CDF for future navigation channel maintenance. Testing confirmed that 112,000 CY of CDF material is inert and the material will be excavated, dewatered, stockpiled and used on the Ford property site. The total dredging volume from the river includes 109,000 CY of material. Project completion estimated for early 2013.