A company founded nearly 100 years ago that went on to become one of the most prolific suppliers of book paper in the nation and eventually employed hundreds of people eventually faded into history shortly before the turn of the century and now its legacy includes an EPA Superfund site impacting the Kalamazoo River all the way to the Allegan dam.
Allied Paper Mills, later Allied Paper Corporation, largely ceased operations of any sort in 1997, but starting back in the 1950s their operations began using recycled waste paper for stock. Mixed in with that waste paper was carbonless copy paper which contained PCBs as an ink carrier. The use of PCBs were banned in the early 1970s, but by then the area between Allied Paper’s Monarch and Bryant Mill sites, where settling lagoons were used to remove suspended particles within waste water from the recycling process, contained more than 110,000 pounds of PCBs. Those substances traveled along Portage Creek and into the Kalamazoo River causing significant contamination all the way downstream to the dam at Allegan.
Now, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has named the Kalamazoo River site to the list of Superfund sites that administrators have targeted for immediate and intense attention. The 21 sites on the list – from across the United States – are in direct response to the Superfund Task Force Recommendations, issued this summer, calling for the list.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt says, “By elevating these sites we are sending a message that EPA is, in fact, restoring its Superfund program to its rightful place at the center of the Agency’s mission.” Pruitt adds, “Getting toxic land sites cleaned up and revitalized is of the utmost importance to the communities across the country that are affected by these sites. I have charged the Superfund Task Force staff to immediately and intently develop plans for each of these sites to ensure they are thoughtfully addressed with urgency. By getting these sites cleaned up, EPA will continue to focus on ways we can directly improve public health and the environment for people across America.”
The Allied Paper Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund site is located in Allegan and Kalamazoo Counties. The site includes PCB-contaminated soil and sediment in landfills, paper mill properties, about 80 miles of the Kalamazoo River, adjacent riverbanks and contiguous floodplains, as well as a 3-mile stretch of Portage Creek.
EPA has identified seven areas of the Kalamazoo River requiring cleanup, and has made final decisions on two of those areas. However, several interim cleanup actions have been conducted along the river. Cleanup has taken place at three of the five contamination source areas; operation and maintenance activities and groundwater monitoring are ongoing at these locations. In addition, interim actions conducted at the remaining two areas have eliminated them as sources of contamination to the river.
In developing this initial list, EPA considered sites that will benefit from Administrator Pruitt’s direct engagement and have identifiable actions to protect human health and the environment. These are sites requiring timely resolution of specific issues to expedite cleanup and redevelopment efforts. The list is designed to spur action at sites where opportunities exist to act quickly and comprehensively. The Administrator will receive regular updates on each of these sites.
According to the EPA, “The list is intended to be dynamic. Sites will move on and off the list as appropriate. At times, there may be more or fewer sites based on where the Administrator’s attention and focus is most needed. There is no commitment of additional funding associated with a site’s inclusion on the list.”
The Task Force Recommendations are aimed at expediting cleanup at all Superfund sites and Administrator Pruitt has set the expectation that there will be a renewed focus on accelerating work and progress at all Superfund sites across the country.
The Task Force, whose work is ongoing, has five overarching goals:
- Expediting cleanup and remediation;
- Reinvigorating cleanup and reuse efforts by potentially responsible parties;
- Encouraging private investment to facilitate cleanup and reuse;
- Promoting redevelopment and community revitalization; and
- Engaging with partners and stakeholders.
The Task Force will provide the public with regular updates as it makes progress on the Administrator’s Emphasis list and other Task Force activities.
For more information, you can visit: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/allied-paper-kalamazoo.
As for the once prominent Allied Paper Corporation, the only building remaining in Kalamazoo is the 1975 headquarters on Portage Road, which has become a community center.
(The pipeline photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market.com is for illustrative purposes only, and is not affiliated with any company, community or body of water in this story.)
