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Bay Harbor Lake study completed

Release Date: 06/15/2007
Contact Information: Mick Hans, 312-353-5050, [email protected] Don de Blasio, 312-886-4360, [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 07-OPA100

CHICAGO (June 15, 2007) - A recently completed study shows no evidence of cement kiln dust contamination or CKD leachate in Bay Harbor Lake, an inland lake within the Bay Harbor Resort near Petoskey, Mich.

Field work for the study was conducted in May, June and October 2006. The project included 15 hours of underwater dive surveys by a New Jersey-based EPA dive team and more than 500 water quality measurements collected over two miles of shoreline. Several storm drains were also sampled. All shoreline pH samples collected ranged from 7.4 to 8.3 standard units. All dive samples collected ranged from 6.9 to 8.7. Michigan requires surface water to be between 6.5 and 9.0 for human contact and aquatic ecosystem protection.

The study was a joint partnership effort among EPA Region 5, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Michigan Department of Community Health, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Northwest Michigan Community Health Agency, Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, CMS Energy and Bay Harbor Co.

The resort lies on a redeveloped area that previously contained a cement factory. Interim measures and study by CMS Energy were launched in 2005 to control the release of CKD-contaminated leachate from the resort property into Little Traverse Bay. Short-term work is being overseen by EPA. Long-term containment and remediation steps are overseen by MDEQ.

Links to the completed Bay Harbor Lake study and other information may be found at https://www.epa.gov/region5/sites/littletraverse/. Bay Harbor environmental information Web sites are also managed by many of the lake study partners.