A New Day for the River Raisin

CASE STUDY 1 A New Day for the River Raisin A long-term effort to restore CONTENTS the River Raisin in southeast 2 Restoration of the River Raisin Area Michigan helps revitalize the of Concern City of Monroe, with the area 11 From Cleanup of the River Raisin to Revitalization of Monroe, seeing both environmental and Michigan economic benefits. Restoration of the River Raisin Area of Concern By Melanie Foose, Michigan Office of the Great Lakes; Dan Stefanski, River Raisin Public Advisory Committee; Barry Laroy, Monroe Water & Wastewater Utilities; Dick Micka, River Raisin Public Advisory Committee; and John Hartig, Great Lakes Science-Policy Advisor, International Association for Great Lakes Research ative people called it Nummasepee or the International Joint Commission. These RAP Development in the River of Sturgeon. The French who geographic areas have experienced environmental the Spirit of Adaptive colonized the area in the late 1600s degradation resulting in significant impaired Ncalled it La Rivière au Raisin or the River of beneficial uses. At that time, the Michigan Management Grapes, in recognition of the trees along the river Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), The initial Stage 1 RAP was originally developed draped in vines heavy with wild grapes. Today in in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental to reach agreement on problem definition, recognition of this French history, we refer to it Protection Agency (USEPA), committed to including use impairments, and causes. It was as the River Raisin, and hope that someday the developing a remedial action plan (RAP) to completed in 1987. In the spirit of adaptive sturgeon will return to its waters. restore these impaired beneficial uses. management, where assessments are made, The River Raisin is located in southeast Like in many areas of the Great Lakes, priorities set, and action taken in an iterative Michigan, with its watershed overlapping five industrial development, including paper mills and fashion for continuous improvement, the RAP Michigan counties and dipping into a small automotive manufacturing, left behind a legacy of was updated periodically (Table 1). The RAP portion of northern Ohio. Conversely, the pollution. The initial River Raisin RAP identified process placed a high priority on implementing boundary of the River Raisin Area of Concern the following problems: heavy metals and concurrently both necessary studies and (AOC), the area of the River Raisin most polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination remedial and preventive actions. Actions to impacted by human-made contaminants, is of the sediments and water column; sediment restore impaired beneficial uses have always been located entirely within the City of Monroe, input from nonpoint sources outside of the paramount. To ensure local ownership of the Michigan. The AOC boundary is defined as the AOC; and PCB contamination of fish (MDNR RAP, the MDNR and the Michigan Department lower 2.6-mile (4.2-kilometer) stretch of the 1987). Because of PCB contamination, a fish of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) have River Raisin, downstream from Dam No. 6 at consumption advisory had been issued by the organized many public meetings, helped organize Winchester Bridge in the city, extending one-half Michigan Department of Public Health. The fish a River Raisin Public Advisory Council, and mile (0.8 kilometer) into Lake Erie following contamination and consumption advisory and the worked with the River Raisin Watershed Council, the Federal Navigation Channel and along the contamination of river sediments were identified the City of Monroe, and many others. nearshore zone of Lake Erie, both north and as the primary impaired uses in the AOC, and the south, for one mile (one kilometer). 1987 RAP focused on these issues. In all, nine of The River Raisin AOC was designated as the possible 14 beneficial use impairments were one of 43 Great Lakes AOCs in 1985 through identified. 2 YEAR ACTIVITY Municipal Wastewater 1985 Commitment by Michigan and USEPA to develop and implement a RAP for River Treatment Raisin The Monroe Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment 1987 Stage 1 RAP Completed Plant (WWTP) is a publicly owned treatment 1998 River assessment conducted works dedicated to providing the efficient 2002 RAP Update published transportation and treatment of wastewater from the Monroe Metropolitan Area. The plant 2003-2004 MDEQ and USEPA conduct post-navigational dredging study provides activated-sludge, secondary treatment 2004 Coastal Zone Management grant awarded to Monroe for field assessment to all wastewater to degrade all organics and 2005-2006 PCB sludge excavated from Lagoon 1 and adjacent area, and properly disposed remove nutrients. In the spirit of continuous 2006 RAP Update published improvement to protect the environment, the WWTP has gone through four major phases of 2006 Monroe’s Commission on the Environment and Water Quality established updates to the facility and collection system at a 2009 RAP Update published cost of more than $55 million. The goals of these 2010 MDEQ released updated guidance for delisting AOCs improvements were to improve system reliability, reduce collection system inflow and infiltration, 2012 Stage 2 RAP published reduce high energy costs, and maintain Degradation of aesthetics removed as an impaired use sewer rates, while eliminating sanitary sewer 2012 North River Raisin Wetland Enhancements overflows and bypasses that can contribute to environmental problems like elevated phosphorus 2012 Sterling Island Habitat Restoration discharges and algal blooms. 2012-2013 Low Head Dam Improvements Phase 1 was completed in 2010 and cost $12.5 2013 Eutrophication or undesirable algae and beach closings removed as impaired uses million. The project primarily included plant equipment replacement. 2015 Ford Marsh Restoration Project Phase 2 was a state-mandated improvement 2015 Loss of fish and wildlife habitat and degradation of fish and wildlife populations ben- that cost $9 million. This project was completed eficial uses restored in 2013 and included construction of a building 2016 PCB Contaminated Sediment Remediation Project completed addition to house new switchgear, a standby 2016 All remedial actions identified for use restoration in the RAP implemented generator capable of running the whole plant, and a new Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Table 1. A chronology of RAP activities to restore impaired beneficial uses in the River Raisin AOC. (SCADA) control room. Other improvements included dual motor control centers and dual 3 power feeds to critical equipment to meet the Energy Saving Performance Contract, paid for Ongoing studies and future projects will USEPA’s reliability guidelines, site fencing, site by low-interest Qualified Energy Conservation continue the goal of eliminating sanitary sewer access improvements, site lighting, electrical and Bonds, was used. Upgrades included the sludge overflows and bypasses that can contribute to instrumentation work for installation of a SCADA dewatering system, heating system rehabilitation, environmental problems. system for process control, and monitoring. settled wastewater pumps, two lift station Phase 3 was completed in 2014 at a cost of rehabilitations, lighting and occupancy controls, Contaminated Sediment $18 million in response to another state mandate. power factor correction, UV disinfection, and Remediation These improvements included a new 7-million- cover and facility weatherproofing. gallon retention basin and a 16-million-gallon- Other collection system improvements, like The River Raisin AOC was originally designated per-day wet weather pumping facility and related lining of sewers, were also made since 2001 at a an AOC in 1985, primarily due to PCBs in wet weather appurtenances. The retention basin cost of approximately $5.5 million. Lining extends sediments (Table 1). In 1997, Ford Motor 3 included a new wet well/dry well pumping facility the service life of existing sewers, reduces inflow Company removed 20,000 m of highly PCB- for flushing and dewatering the basin. Phase 3 and infiltration, and reduces tree-root intrusion, contaminated sediment from the AOC, under also included the rehabilitation of 500 manholes which can cause collection system backups. USEPA order at a cost of $6 million. From in the collection system. This not only extended the life of the manholes, but also reduced inflow and infiltration during wet weather events. By reducing inflow and infiltration, the plant not only improved plant and collection system flow capacity, it also reduced operational costs through more efficient equipment that resulted in lower sewer rates. Phase 4 upgraded several remaining critical components such as the failing dewatering system, aging pumping stations, and the heating system dating back to the 1930s. A comprehensive self-funded $10.4 million program with more than $355,000 in energy and operational savings, as well as anticipated $53,000 in energy optimization incentives, was completed in 2016. The culmination of this collaboration addressed many of the plant’s critical infrastructure needs, all without an associated rate increase. A cost-effective funding mechanism using an Contaminated sediment remediation in the lower River Raisin. Credit: USEPA. 4 1998-2002, USEPA and MDEQ performed Habitat projects have been implemented, including dam post-remediation sediment monitoring, finding removal or retrofitting to support upstream that high levels of PCBs remained in both the Considerable loss of fish and

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