Michigan Department of Natural Resarrces Remedial Action Plan for Hichigm Department of Natural Resources Surface Water Quality Division Great Lakes, and Environmental AssossnUmt Section P.0. Box 30028 Lansing, Wichigqn 48909 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The initial draft of the Muskegon Lake Remedial Action Plan was completed through the technical assistance of Science Application International Corporation under EPA Contract No. 68-04-5041, Work Assignment GL86-06, SAIC Project No. 2-813-03-202-06. Assistance in reviewing, selecting, extracting, organizing available information and shaping it into a readable initial draft is acknowledged and appreciated. Special recogni- tion goes to Ms. Mary Waldron and Ms. Cindy Hughes. Thanks is also given to those individuals that have provided technical assistance and information during the preparation of this remedial action plan. Special thanks to Irnie Jousma and Roger Przybysz, Grand Rapids District staff. We are grateful for those who took the time to become involved in this pro jec t . Special thanks goes to Connie Pennell, Supervisor, MDNR Word Processing, and her staff for their patience, understanding and conscientious efforts in the preparation of this RAP. John Wuycheck RAP Coordinator TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 11 .o EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 BACKGROUND 2.2 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES 2 .3 INTENDED USE 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING 3.1 LOCATION 3.2 NATURAL FEATURES 3.2.1 Drainage Basin 3.2.2 Topography 3.2.3 Hydrology 3.2.4 Soil Types, Runoff, Erosion 3.2.5 Limnology 3.2.6 Air Quality 3.3 LAM) COVER AND USES 3.3.1 Land Cover 3.3.2 Land Use 3.3.3 Sewer Service Systems 3.4 WATER USES (MUSKEGON RIVEX BASIN) 3.4.1 Fish and Wildlife Habitat 3.4.2 Water Supply 3.4.3 Sport and Commercial Fishing 3.4.4 Contact Recreation 3.4.5 Navigation 3.4.6 Noncontact Recreation 3.4.7 Waste Disposal 3.5.1 Fish and Wildlife Habitat 3.5.2 Water Supply 3.5.3 Sport and Commercial Fishing 3.5.4 Contact Recreation 3.5.5 Navigation 3.5.6 Noncontact Recreation 3.5.7 Waste Disposal Page 3.6 WATER QUALITY STANDARDS, GUIDELINES, OBJECTIVES, 28 AND APPLICABLE BENEFICIAL USES 4.0 IMPAIRED USE ASSESSMENT 3 1 IMPAIRED USES, USE ATTAINABILITY, AND SPECIFIC CONCERNS AOC COMPONENT EVALUATIONS 4.2.1. Water Quality 4.2.2 Sediment Quality 4.2.3 Biota 4.2.3.1 Macroinvertebrate Comrmunity 4.2.3.2 Fieh Contamination SUMMARY 5.0 SOURCES OF POLLUTION 5.1 PRIMARY SOURCES OF MAJOR POLLUTANTS 5.1.1 Municipal and Industrial Point Sources 5.1.2 Storm Sewer Drains/Cmbined Sewer Overflows 5.2 SECONDARY SOURCES OF MAJOR POLLUTANTS 5.2.1 Groundwater Contamlnation 5.2.1.1 Groundwater Contamlnation by Lmdfills 5.2.1.2 Groundwater Contamlnation by Industrial Groundwater Discharges 5.2.1.3 Groundwater Contamlnation by Septic Sys teme 5.2.1.4 Groundwater Contamlnation By Abandoned Oil Wells 5.2.2 Rural Land Runoff 5.2.3 Atmo8pheric Deposition 5.2.4 Contaminated Sedfments 6.0 POLLUTANT TRANSPORT MECHANISMS AND LOADINGS 7 1 6.1 CONTINUOUS POINT SOURCES 7 1 6.1.1 Municipal Wastewater Treatment Discharge 6.1.2 Industrial Diechargee 6.2 INTERMITTENT POINT SOURCES 6.3 NONPOINT SOURCES 72 6.3.1 Agricultural RunoffIUrban Runoff 6.3.2 Polluted Groundwater Discharges Page 6.4 IN-PLACE POLLUTANTS (CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS) 74 6.5 SUMMARY HISTORICAL RECORD OF REMEDLAL ACTIONS 7.1 COMPLETED ACTIONS 7.1.1 Wastewater Management System (WMS) 7.1.2 Superfund Sites 7.1.3 Non-Superfund Sites 7.1.4 Nonpoint Sources 7.2 ACTIONS CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS 7.2.1 Wastewater Treatment Plant 7.2.2 Point Sources 7.2.3 Nonpoint Sources DEFINITION OF SPECIFIC GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND MILESTONES FOR RESTORATION OF IIPAIRED USES 8.1 USES TO BE RESTORED, MAINTAINED, OR DISCONTINUED 8.2 GOALS FOR BIOTA AND HABITAT RESTORATION 8.3 WATER USE AND QUALITY OBJECTIVES 8.4 SEDIMENT QUALITY OBJECTIVES 9.0 PROGRAMS AND PARTICIPANTS 9.1 REGULATORY AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROGRAMS 9.1.1 Status of Water Quality Standards, Guidelines, and Objectives 9.1.2 Point Source Controls 9.1.3 Superfund and State Hazardous Site Cleanup 9.1.4 Nonpoint Source Control Efforts 9.1.5 Hazardous Waste Management 9.1.6 Urban Stormwater Pollution Control Efforts 9.1.7 COE ProjectsIOther Agency Actions 9.2 PUBLIC INVOLVPLENT 9.3 IHTERAGECY AGREEMENTS 9.3.1 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1978 10.0 REMEDIAL ACTIONS 1 1 .0 BIBLIOGRAPHY Page 12.0 APPENDICES U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS MUSKEGON HARBOR SEDIMENT 115 AND BENTHIC ANALYSIS DATA, APRIL 1982 MDNR RESPONSE TO CITIZEN CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS 125 PUBLIC MEETINGS 2 AUGUST 1986 MUSKEGON LAKE AND TRIBUTARY WATER SAWLING DATA 135 MICEIGAN'S WATER QUALITY STANDARDS RULE 57(2) 147 GUIDELINE LEVELS FOR TOXIC SUBSTANCES MUSKEGON LAKE AND BEAR LAKE SEDIMENT ANALYSIS DATA 153 FROM SAMPLES COLLECTED JUNE 1972, 1975 AND 1980 AND AUGUST AND DECEMBER 1986 AND MAY 1987 MUSKEGON LAKE AND TRIBUTARIES SEDIMENT DATA - 165 WMSRDC, 1982 MUSKEGON LAKE SEDIMENT SAMPLING DATA '- -0, 1981 203 MUSKEGON RIVER BASIN FISH SAMPLING DATA - WMSRDC, 1982 217 MUSKEGON LAKE AND BEAR LAKE FISH CONTAMINANT 225 MONITORING DATA - MDNR, 1986 MICHIGAN'S NPDES DEVELOPMENT PERMIT PROCEDURE 236 PRIORITY LISTS FOR EVALUATION AND INTERIM RESPONSE AT 244 SITES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION PROPOSED SURVEY FORM FOR MDNR NONPOINT SOURCE ASSESSMENT 254 LISTING OF AGENCY AND CITIZEN CONTACTS 258 LIST OF TABLES . Table Page MUSKEGON LAKE DRAINAGE BASIN CBARACTERISTICS 10 ESTIMATES OF LAND COVER PER WATERSHED 14 ESTIMATES OF LAND USE IN THE IMMEDIATE MUSKEGON LAKE 15 WATERSHED RESTRICTED USE PESTICIDES USED IN MUSKEGON COUNTY IN 1986 17 URBAN STORM SEWER NETWORKS - MUSKEGON LAKE AREA 18 NPDES PERMITTED DISCBARGES TO MUSKEGON LAKE AND LAKE 23 MICHIGAN ESTIMATED ANNUAL ANGLER DAYS ON MUSKEGON LAKE 2 6 HISTORICAL IMPAIRED USES OF MUSKEGON LAKE 32 IMPAIRED USES OF MUSKEGON LAKE'S TRIBUTARIES 33 WATER QUALITP CHA~ACTERISTICS OF MUSKEGON LAKE 34 TOXIC SUBSTANCE CONCENTRATIONS IN WATER SAMPLES EXCEEDING 35 MICHIGAN'S RULE 57(2) GUIDELINE LEVELS FOR TOXIC SUBSTANCES MERCURY CONCENTRATIONS IN MUSKEGON RIVER WATER SAMPLES 36 (BRIDGETON, MI) NONAFFECT SEDIMENT CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA 38 COW .?ISON OF SELECTED SEDIMEHT SURVEY DATA, KUSKEGON LAKE 42 PCB AND MERCURY, SEDZMENT DATA SUMMARY, MUSKEGON AND 4 5 BEAR LAKE FDA AND PIDPH ACTION LEVELS AND IJC OBJECTIVES FOR 4 7 ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS IN FISH 4-10 DIOXIN LEVELS IN MUSKEGON LAKE FISH 50 4-1 1 DIOXIN LEVELS IN BEAR LAKE FISH 5 1 5-1 URBAN STORM SEWER NETWORK 5 5 5-2 KNOWN LANDFILLS IN MUSKEGON LAKE AREA 59 5-3 HISTORICAL INDUSTRIAL/MIMICIPAL GROUNDWATER DISCHARGERS 6 1 5-4 PROPOSED OIL WELLS FOR PLUGGING 64 Table Page 6-1 WHS WATER QUALITY DATA 73 7-1 PUMPING STATIONS SUMMARY 7 9 10-1 PROPOSED REMEDIAL ACTIONS - MUSKEGON LAKE AREA OF CONCERN 104 10-2 PROPOSED -1AL ACTIONS - MIJSKEWN LAKE TRIBUTARIES 105 SOURCE AREA OF CONCERN LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 3-1 LOCATION OF MUSKEGON LAKE IN MUSKEGON COUNTY, MICHIGAN 3-2 MUSKEGON RIVER DRAINAGE BASIN 3-3 MAJOR SOIL ASSOCIATIONS IN MUSKEGON COUNTY 3-4 URBAN STORM SEWER NETWORK 3-5 LOCATION OF NPDES PERMITTED DISCURGERS - MUSKEGON LAKE AREA 4-1 LOCATION OF SELECTED SEDIMENT SAMPLING SITES 5-1 AREAS OF DOCUMENTED GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION WITHIN THE MUSKEGON RIVER BASIN 5-2 OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION WELLS 7-1 LOCATION OF WMS 7-2 DIAGRAM OF UMS SYSTEM 7-3 LOCATION OF CORDOVA (OTTISTORY) CHEMICAL COMPANY 7-4 CORDOVA (OTT/STORY) CBPLICAL COMPANY SITE LAYOUT 9-1 MDNR ORGANIZATIONAL CEART 9-2 WMSRDC ORGANIZATION CHART 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Status Report is an update of progress made by the State of Michigan to address the problems in the Muskegon Lake Area of Concern (AOC) identified by the International Joint Commission as one of Michigan's fourteen Areas of Concern. Areas of Concern are defined as areas where there are severe environmental quality problems that result in the inability to use the resource for one or more designated uses. The Muskegon Lake AOC consists of Muskegon Lake, a 1,679 hectare (4,150 acre) lake located in Muskegon County along the east shoreline of Lake Michigan just north of the City of Muskegon. Muskegon Lake was identified as an AOC because prior to 1973, Muskegon Lake received direct discharges of industrial process wastewater, munici- pal wastewater treatment plant effluent, combined stormsewer overflows and urban runoff. These discharges degraded water and habitat quality of Muskegon Lake and tributaries. The resulting nutrient enrichment, solids and toxicant loadings resulted in nuisance algal blooms, reduced oxygen concentrations in the water column, tainted fish and contaminated sedi- ments. Development of petroleum, chemical and heavy industries in the area resulted, in some locations in the vicinity of the AOC, with contam- inated groundwater. These conditions raised concerns about possible impacts on Lake Michigan and were used to designate Muskegon Lake as an IJC Area of Concern. Since 1973 local, state and federal sponsored remedial actions have improved water quality in Muskegon Lake and tributaries. A major action was the diversion of the industrial and municipal discharges away from the lake and tributaries to the Muskegon County Waste Management System No. 1 (WMS). This facility, located east of the City of Muskegon, is comprised of a 4,856 hectare (12,000 acre) site with two 344 hectare (850 acre) reservoirs used to store and treat the wastewater prior to land application. Underdrainage from the land application sites accumulates in surrounding drainage ditches and discharges to Mosquito Creek (Muskegon Lake watershed) and Black Creek (Mona Lake watershed).