Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
The ORV trail between Hancock and Dollar Bay has been reopened. The trail was closed this spring, because of environmental contamination discovered on property owned by the Julio Construction Company.
The following is a press release issued Friday afternoon by the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department:
The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department (WUPHD) has lifted the health advisory for the ORV trail owned by the State of Michigan that traverses through the Julio scrapyards in Ripley.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Emergency Response Branch, and Julio Contracting recently completed mitigation activities on the ORV trail adjacent to 3 Julio scrapyard properties located approximately 1/3 of a mile both east and west of the Julio Contracting office in Ripley. WUPHD is asking the public to follow signs and remain on the ORV trail when using it for any recreational activities such as ATV use, walking, and biking.
The public should continue to avoid all activities on the Julio scrapyard properties off the designated ORV trail. Sampling and evaluation conducted by various state agencies last summer concluded that numerous physical and chemical hazards are present in the Ripley waterfront area including
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s), lead, mercury, and asbestos that could cause illness or injury.
WUPHD continues to work with local, state, and federal partners to reach a long-term solution for these areas.
For more information, please contact the WUPHD at (906) 482-7382. Questions related to health concerns should be directed to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services at 800-648-6942.
