EPA, and EGLE Hosting Open House Ahead of Pilot Study of Torch Lake Mining Waste

The Environmental Protection Agency, EGLE, and Honeywell International will host an open house tomorrow before beginning sample collection in Torch Lake. In September the Environmental Protection Agency and EGLE will conduct a pilot study on mining waste in Torch Lake. The work by the federal contractors will help the EPA and EGLE determine a final clean-up strategy for more than 400 drums at the bottom of the lake. The plans will remove drums from three locations at various depths. Then the the agencies will extensively monitor and perform sample collection. Contractors will also remove contaminated sediment and debris. For a temporary time, the samples will be stored at the former Mineral Building property and then transported to a disposal facility. The project will require barges, a crane, construction equipment, and small vessels present on the lake until early October. The sample collection is part of a larger project and effort to restore the lake and delist the site from the Great Lakes Areas of Concern. The open house will begin at 4 pm tomorrow and run for three hours. The community will meet with project representatives at the Lake Linden High School in the auditorium. Those interested in learning more about the project or the details for the open house can find more information here.