Kalamazoo River Watershed Council

Kalamazoo TMDL meeting

J. McCarthy — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:42:04 +0000

Please join us on Thursday, May 16 from 9:00 – 11:00 am for our quarterly meeting of the Lake Allegan/Kalamazoo River Phosphorus TMDL Implementation Committee. We meet at the Kalamazoo Water Reclamation Plant at 1415 Harrison St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007.

Click to download the meeting agenda. For questions, please contact Tom Dunn, Implementation Committee Chair.

Kanoe the Kazoo 2013

J. McCarthy — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:21:36 +0000

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Kanoe the Kazoo annual canoe trip series. Register for a paddle trip.

Consider native plants this spring

J. McCarthy — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:10:35 +0000

“I am interested in native plants, but what should I plant in my yard?”

Photo Credit: USDA

Join us for the answer to this commonly asked question and learn why, what, and how to include native plants in your landscape. Plus, learn how to design your home landscaping to improve water quality, prevent erosion, reduce flooding, save water, and provide wildlife habitat.

“Native Plants in Your Landscape” — FREE workshop hosted by the Kalamazoo Conservation District and the Kalamazoo River Watershed Council.

Wednesday, May 8th from 6:30 -8:30 pm
Portage District Library – Austin Lake Room
300 Library Lane, Portage, MI 49002

Speakers: Tom Small, author of Using Native Plants to Restore Community and Erin Fuller, Watershed Coordinator at the Van Buren Conservation District.

Advanced registration is requested by Monday, May 6. Please register online or by phone (269) 327-1258.

“Where do I buy Michigan native plants?”

The Kalamazoo Conservation District will be selling native plants from Hidden Savannah Nursery, a local native plant grower, on Saturday, May 11th. The plant sale will take place at the Bank Street Farmers Market in Kalamazoo from 7:00 am – 2:00 pm. They will be featuring a special Mother’s Day basket of native flowers. Get their early to pick up your flowers.

River Voices features article about Kalamazoo River

J. McCarthy — Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:37 +0000

The Kalamazoo River and the Watershed Council were recently featured in an article in River Voices, a publication of the River Network. Our article, “Cleanups: Beyond Trash” was part of a special series highlighting 25 lessons learned by 25 different watershed organizations working to protect and restore rivers and their watersheds. The article, written by Dr. Stephen Hamilton, describes several challenges and accomplishments in our watershed, including the 2010 oil spill and subsequent cleanup and PCB contaminated sediments throughout the Superfund Site. While this legacy of pollution is certainly part of our watershed’s history, it does not have to define our future. Many organizations, agencies, and local communities are working to change this legacy, and we are seeing and measuring improvements in the health of the Kalamazoo River ecosystem.

The lesson learned from our watershed has been that persistence and patience are essential to remain engaged in our work of restoring, improving, and protecting the Kalamazoo River watershed. The Watershed Council will continue to be involved in these river cleanup actions for as long as it takes, while always seeking to improve the public image of the river and get more people to appreciate the wonderful resource that it is.

Get connected: Allied Paper site clean-up

J. McCarthy — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:52:45 +0000

The community meeting held this past Tuesday has been getting media attention from a number of outlets, including MLive, Fox 17 News, and WMUK radio. A coalition of community members, local business, and nonprofit organizations are concerned with the direction the US EPA is moving toward for the PCB clean up at the former Allied Paper site. You can connect with these community efforts through the Kalamazoo River Cleanup Coalition’s website and facebook page.

Another community meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9 at 7:00 pm. The meeting is open to the public and anyone interested in getting connected with this issue is encouraged to attend. The meeting will be held at Goodwill Industries, 420 E. Alcott Street, Kalamazoo. Contact Gary Wager of the Kalamazoo River Cleanup Coalition for more information (269-382-0490 ext. 271 or glwager@gmail.com).

Attend community meeting on PCB clean up at former Allied Paper site

J. McCarthy — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:27:13 +0000

The Kalamazoo City Commission held a special meeting on March 26, 2013 to discuss the US Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed remedy to consolidate and cap soils contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in and around the former Allied Paper site. At this meeting City Commissioners agreed to push the EPA for full clean up of the site, which was one of the remedy alternatives assessed by EPA. This remedy would involve total removal of PCB-contaminated soils at the site with offset disposal in a qualified landfill.

A community meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 2 at 7:00 pm at Goodwill Industries, 420 E. Alcott Street in Kalamazoo. We encourage you to attend this public meeting to learn more about the recent developments at the site and learn about ways you can support the City’s position on PCB clean up.

The Kalamazoo Gazette recently published an article on the special meeting of the City Commission.

EPA orders Enbridge to dredge sections of Kalamazoo River

J. McCarthy — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:45:43 +0000

A recent press release by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced they have issued an administrative order requiring Enbridge to dredge three sections along the Kalamazoo River impacted by a July 2010 oil spill. EPA has documented recoverable submerged oil above Ceresco Dam, upstream of Battle Creek, and in the Morrow Lake delta.

Enbridge has a short window of time to respond to the order and submit a dredging work plan to EPA. Visit EPA’s oil spill website for more information about the recent administrative order and the background on the 2010 oil spill.

Public forum on Michigan’s energy future

J. McCarthy — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:01:38 +0000

The Governor is seeking input on Michigan’s energy policy through a series of town hall style listening sessions. The State of Michigan website has a listing of all locations and dates. Our local listening session will be held at Western Michigan University’s Fetzer Center on Monday, March 18 from 1:00 – 5:00 pm in the Kirsch Auditorium.

Last chance to register for Kalamazoo Legislative Breakfast

J. McCarthy — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:08:09 +0000

The Kalamazoo Environmental Council (KEC) is hosting the annual legislative breakfast on Monday, March 11 from 7:30 – 9:30 am at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. As a member of KEC, we invite you to join us as we talk with our state and federal lawmakers about protecting and managing Michigan’s natural resources for future generations in the face of global climate change and increasing pressure to maximize short-term economic gains. Invited lawmakers include: State Senator Tonya Schuitmaker, State Representatives Jase Bolger, Sean McCann, Aric Nesbitt, Margaret O’Brien, and legislative staff for U.S. Representative Fred Upton and U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow.

Register online at www.naturecenter.org or by phone (269) 375-0954 by March 6. Breakfast is $8.00. The discussion begins at 8:00 am and is free.

Meeting to discuss the statewide TMDL for PCBs

J. McCarthy — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:33:11 +0000

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is proposing a statewide Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for inland lakes impacted by atmospheric deposition of PCBs. The TMDL is required under Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act. A draft of the TMDL document is available on the DEQ’s Surface Water Assessment Section website.

A meeting will be held to discuss the development of the TMDL, the process, and associated activities in Lansing on Wednesday, February 6 at 1:00pm at the Michigan Library and Historical Center in The Forum (702 W. Kalamazoo St., Lansing, MI). Questions can be directed to Marcy Knoll, Aquatic Biologist with the DEQ Water Resources Division at (517) 335-7360.