Great Lakes waters at risk from buried contaminants and new threats
DECEMBER 23, 2019
A harmful algal bloom in the western basin of Lake Erie in August 2017. Credit: NOAA/Aerial Associates Photography, Inc./Zachary Haslick/flickr
Nickle Beach, Copper Harbor, Silver Bay. These places, all situated on the shores of the Laurentian Great Lakes, evoke the legacy of mining connected with the region.
While mining operations for metal ores and their refining have all but ceased here, there are renewed concerns over the safety of our Great Lakes source waters. One only has to think back to the 2014 water crisis in Flint, Mich. that exposed more than 100,000 people to elevated lead levels or to more recent headlines over lead contamination in water distributed from Canadian taps.
While mining operations for metal ores and their refining have all but ceased here, there are renewed concerns over the safety of our Great Lakes source waters. One only has to think back to the 2014 water crisis in Flint, Mich. that exposed more than 100,000 people to elevated lead levels or to more recent headlines over lead contamination in water distributed from Canadian taps.
The Great Lakes basin is home to more than 35 million people distributed across two nations and numerous First Nations. They all rely on this resource for potable water, employment, sustenance and recreational opportunities.
Yet, environmental concerns are a recurring theme, compromising beneficial uses of the lakes and connecting rivers and posing a threat to a combined GDP of US$5.8 trillion across the region.
Canadians have come to expect access to safe, clean and reliable drinking water, as well as access to lakes and rivers for recreational use. However, a legacy of natural resource extraction and industrial use, together with new pressures on freshwater ecosystems, challenge the integrity and sustainable use of these resources.
An A grade, for now
Clearly, past environmental crises like mercury pollution of Lake St. Clair in the 1970s, the St. Clair River's blob of perchloroethylene (a dry-cleaning solvent) in 1985, the outbreak of gastroenteritis in Walkerton, Ont. in 2000, the contamination of Michigan's Huron River with PFAS (a family of persistent chemicals) in 2017, and the Flint water crisis provide compelling evidence of the need to control contaminants at their source and avoid another tipping point.
Most people who call Ontario home live within the watershed of one of our four Great Lakes: Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario. Over 80 percent of Ontarians receive their drinking water from the lakes.
Considering the high dependency within the province on the Great Lakes, we are fortunate that the protection of these source waters is a priority of Ontario's Clean Water Act. The province, as recently as 2011, received an A grade in Canada's drinking water report card issued by the environmental law non-profit Ecojustice.
Ontario's Source Water Protection Plan began in 2004 on the heels of the tragedy in Walkerton. A total of 38 local plans are currently in place, covering 95 percent of Ontario's population. Each plan identifies and ranks the risk of land-use patterns, such as locations of waste disposal sites, and effluent threats, such as industrial waste and fertilizers, that could lead to microbial, chemical or radiological contamination.
While the province is doing a good job protecting our Great Lakes source waters to ensure the safety of our drinking water, will these programs continue to protect us into the future and can they address vulnerabilities particular to our Great Lakes?
A crowd of swimmers and boaters gather at the annual (unsanctioned) Jobbie Nooner
boating party in Lake St. Clair, Mich., in June 2015. Credit: U.S. Coast Guard/flickr
A crowd of swimmers and boaters gather at the annual (unsanctioned) Jobbie Noonerboating party in Lake St. Clair, Mich., in June 2015. Credit: U.S. Coast Guard/flickr
Heightened threat from climate change?
While the remaining industrial activity on the Great Lakes is regulated, the lakes themselves contain reservoirs of legacy contaminants, mostly in their sediments, that are vulnerable to resuspension. Metals, including mercury, PCBs and other persistent organic compounds top the list of concern. Resuspension is becoming more common under climate change with high water levels, declining ice cover and increased frequency and intensity of major storm events.
In fact, the manifestations of climate change in the region may be placing our drinking water systems at risk from a myriad of threats. These concerns include antibiotic-resistant bacteria, threats from emerging chemicals, increases in discharge from combined sewer overflows and enhanced agricultural runoff of fertilizers and manure, which are implicated in the massive harmful algal blooms that have plagued Lake Erie's western basin in recent decades.
While Source Water Protection Plans provide sound tools for managing our watersheds, we must remain vigilant and develop better risk-based tools that consider legacy and emerging chemical threats especially as they relate to changes to high Great Lakes water levels and increasing intensity of storms.
For example, a sediment disturbance triggered by high winds or shipping accidents could be addressed in a manner similar to chemical spills, closing water intakes until the threat has subsided.
Investing in our future
And oversight must go beyond source waters: the renewed concerns in Canada over lead contamination of our drinking water have refocused attention on the need to invest in municipal infrastructure to help ensure a safe and secure water supply.
These investments need to consider old threats, such as replacing lead service lines and antiquated plumbing, coupled with new tools to address growing vulnerabilities related to increased storm-induced discharge events, nutrient remobilization and harmful algal blooms being produced under a changing climate.
The adage holds true—an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
DAVE BATTAGELLO, WINDSOR STAR
Updated: December 5, 2019
Heavy machinery move tons of crushed stone around the Detroit,
Michigan shoreline at Detroit Bulk Storage Wednesday.
Historic Fort Wayne is shown behind.
NICK BRANCACCIO / WINDSOR STAR
A shoreline property in Detroit listed for decades by the U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency as a contaminated site due to its use of uranium and other dangerous chemicals during manufacturing dating back to the 1940s has partially collapsed into the Detroit River.
The riverbank apparently collapsed under the weight of large aggregate piles stored at the site by Detroit Bulk Storage which has a long-term lease on the property for such use. The company is operated by the son of the owner of Windsor-based aggregate company Southwestern Sales.
The collapsed property is widely known as the former Revere Copper and Brass site which over many decades has been engaged in repeated controversy regarding its fate, safety and who is responsible for cleanup.
The property sits next door to the east of historical Fort Wayne in southwest Detroit and a stone’s throw from the planned location across the river of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Across the river in Windsor is LaFarge Canada and Sterling Fuels.
There are uranium and radiation concerns on the site because Revere Copper in the 1940s was subcontracted under the Manhattan Project — the race to build the world’s first atomic bomb.
The company into the 1950s continued to roll or construct uranium rods which were used in the nuclear bomb’s development.The plant was eventually closed in 1984, abandoned and then torn down in 1989. The site’s ownership has changed hands, but largely been left vacant until leased recently by Detroit Bulk Storage.
The property’s shoreline crumbled into the water last week at some point during the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend, so the spill initially remained unknown to many responsible state and federal environmental regulatory agencies.
“Any time the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy learns of incidents such as the one at the Revere Copper site in Detroit, staff is greatly concerned about the impact on water quality and the public,” Nick Assendelft, spokesman for the state’s environmental regulatory agency, said on Wednesday nearly a week after the incident.
“EGLE staff will evaluate what is known about the conditions onsite, look into whether there are any environmental concerns, and determine what, if any, obligations the property’s owner has, before we decide our next steps.”
The owner of Detroit Bulk Storage, Noel Frye, did not return a message Wednesday, but workers could easily be seen from Windsor’s west end pushing aggregate around with backhoes near the collapsed section of the shoreline, which partially remained sagging and submerged under water.
The city of Detroit has drinking water intake lines nearby downriver, but on the Canadian side the closest water intake lines that may be impacted by the spill are quite a distance away in Amherstburg.
The Wall Street Journal a half dozen years ago listed the Revere Copper site as one of America’s forgotten nuclear legacy “waste lands.”
It referenced a 2011 evaluation study by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the property which concluded the “potential exists for significant residual radiation.”
Derek Coronado of Windsor’s Citizen’s Environment Alliance noted how along with uranium, historical records for the Revere Copper site also show concern for dangerous chemicals beryllium and thorium.
Aside from the dangers of what’s in the property’s soil that may get washed into the river, a bigger issue may involve sediment on the bottom of the Detroit River. Sediment in that area is loaded with a cocktail of chemicals that include mercury, PCBs and PAHs which all have negative health implications for humans, wildlife and the water, he said.
The sediment, like the soil of the Revere Copper site, may generally be considered safe if left undisturbed. But the fact a ton of aggregate just fell off the shore into the water will disperse the sediment in many directions, Coronado said.
“It’s a concern at what level those three chemicals were on site before this happened and what degree they have gone in the river,” he said.
“But the volume of stuff (aggregate) that went into the river would cause resettlement of the contaminated sediment which is really not good. Moving that stuff around will spread contamination and cause greater destruction to what’s in the water.”
Coronado hopes for required remediation on the site.
“You are operating on a shoreline and it collapses into the river,” he said. “I don’t know how this will play out on enforcement. I would hope given how much money and work has gone into Detroit River remediation there might be enforcement action on this.”
Several officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency contacted Wednesday were not aware of what had occurred regarding the shoreline collapse In Detroit of the contaminated site until informed by the Star.
The agency indicated responsibility for the former Revere Copper site belongs with the U.S. Department of Energy which was tasked decades ago with oversight of dangerous properties that feature nuclear or radiation histories across the U.S. — especially those connected with war-related equipment.
There are roughly 500 such properties — many connected with the Manhattan Project which the department tracks, said Padraic Benson, spokesman for U.S. energy department’s office of legacy management.
Such sites get lumped under what’s known as the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).
Revere Copper last underwent a FUSRAP study in 1980 which determined there “there was little or no potential for radiological exposure,” he said.
Benson confirmed the history of the company working on the Manhattan Project in the 1940s as a subcontractor.
Also made aware of the incident were officials from the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority which is in the midst of overseeing construction for the new Gordie Howe International Bridge.
The former Revere Copper site was actually listed years ago as potential crossing point for the Howe bridge, but eventually rejected because of the environmental risk.
A WDBA spokesman on Wednesday said aggregate being stored by Detroit Bulk Storage that fell into the river was not connected to the Howe bridge project.
“WDBA is aware of the spill of aggregate from a marine facility into the Detroit River,” said WDBA’s Mark Butler. “We are committed to the highest levels of environmental protection and are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the matter.”
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A shoreline property in Detroit listed for decades by the U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency as a contaminated site due to its use of uranium and other dangerous chemicals during manufacturing dating back to the 1940s has partially collapsed into the Detroit River.
The riverbank apparently collapsed under the weight of large aggregate piles stored at the site by Detroit Bulk Storage which has a long-term lease on the property for such use. The company is operated by the son of the owner of Windsor-based aggregate company Southwestern Sales.
The collapsed property is widely known as the former Revere Copper and Brass site which over many decades has been engaged in repeated controversy regarding its fate, safety and who is responsible for cleanup.
The property sits next door to the east of historical Fort Wayne in southwest Detroit and a stone’s throw from the planned location across the river of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Across the river in Windsor is LaFarge Canada and Sterling Fuels.
There are uranium and radiation concerns on the site because Revere Copper in the 1940s was subcontracted under the Manhattan Project — the race to build the world’s first atomic bomb.
The company into the 1950s continued to roll or construct uranium rods which were used in the nuclear bomb’s development.The plant was eventually closed in 1984, abandoned and then torn down in 1989. The site’s ownership has changed hands, but largely been left vacant until leased recently by Detroit Bulk Storage.
The property’s shoreline crumbled into the water last week at some point during the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend, so the spill initially remained unknown to many responsible state and federal environmental regulatory agencies.
“Any time the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy learns of incidents such as the one at the Revere Copper site in Detroit, staff is greatly concerned about the impact on water quality and the public,” Nick Assendelft, spokesman for the state’s environmental regulatory agency, said on Wednesday nearly a week after the incident.
“EGLE staff will evaluate what is known about the conditions onsite, look into whether there are any environmental concerns, and determine what, if any, obligations the property’s owner has, before we decide our next steps.”
The owner of Detroit Bulk Storage, Noel Frye, did not return a message Wednesday, but workers could easily be seen from Windsor’s west end pushing aggregate around with backhoes near the collapsed section of the shoreline, which partially remained sagging and submerged under water.
The city of Detroit has drinking water intake lines nearby downriver, but on the Canadian side the closest water intake lines that may be impacted by the spill are quite a distance away in Amherstburg.
The Wall Street Journal a half dozen years ago listed the Revere Copper site as one of America’s forgotten nuclear legacy “waste lands.”
It referenced a 2011 evaluation study by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the property which concluded the “potential exists for significant residual radiation.”
Derek Coronado of Windsor’s Citizen’s Environment Alliance noted how along with uranium, historical records for the Revere Copper site also show concern for dangerous chemicals beryllium and thorium.
Aside from the dangers of what’s in the property’s soil that may get washed into the river, a bigger issue may involve sediment on the bottom of the Detroit River. Sediment in that area is loaded with a cocktail of chemicals that include mercury, PCBs and PAHs which all have negative health implications for humans, wildlife and the water, he said.
The sediment, like the soil of the Revere Copper site, may generally be considered safe if left undisturbed. But the fact a ton of aggregate just fell off the shore into the water will disperse the sediment in many directions, Coronado said.
“It’s a concern at what level those three chemicals were on site before this happened and what degree they have gone in the river,” he said.
“But the volume of stuff (aggregate) that went into the river would cause resettlement of the contaminated sediment which is really not good. Moving that stuff around will spread contamination and cause greater destruction to what’s in the water.”
Coronado hopes for required remediation on the site.
“You are operating on a shoreline and it collapses into the river,” he said. “I don’t know how this will play out on enforcement. I would hope given how much money and work has gone into Detroit River remediation there might be enforcement action on this.”
Several officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency contacted Wednesday were not aware of what had occurred regarding the shoreline collapse In Detroit of the contaminated site until informed by the Star.
The agency indicated responsibility for the former Revere Copper site belongs with the U.S. Department of Energy which was tasked decades ago with oversight of dangerous properties that feature nuclear or radiation histories across the U.S. — especially those connected with war-related equipment.
There are roughly 500 such properties — many connected with the Manhattan Project which the department tracks, said Padraic Benson, spokesman for U.S. energy department’s office of legacy management.
Such sites get lumped under what’s known as the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).
Revere Copper last underwent a FUSRAP study in 1980 which determined there “there was little or no potential for radiological exposure,” he said.
Benson confirmed the history of the company working on the Manhattan Project in the 1940s as a subcontractor.
Also made aware of the incident were officials from the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority which is in the midst of overseeing construction for the new Gordie Howe International Bridge.
The former Revere Copper site was actually listed years ago as potential crossing point for the Howe bridge, but eventually rejected because of the environmental risk.
A WDBA spokesman on Wednesday said aggregate being stored by Detroit Bulk Storage that fell into the river was not connected to the Howe bridge project.
“WDBA is aware of the spill of aggregate from a marine facility into the Detroit River,” said WDBA’s Mark Butler. “We are committed to the highest levels of environmental protection and are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the matter.”
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