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10-1-1992

Water Resources Review - October 1992 Vol 5 No3Annis Water Resources Institute

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Recommended CitationAnnis Water Resources Institute, "Water Resources Review - October 1992 Vol 5 No 3" (1992). AWRI Reviews. Paper 20.http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/awri_reviews/20

Water Resources ReviewGRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY WATER RESOURCES INSTITUTE October, 1992 Volume 5, Number 3

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In Michigan, combined seweroverflows (CSOs) have becomeone of the most visible water pollu­tion issues. The problem first wentpublic four years ago when it wasdiscovered that as much as 900billion gallons of combined sewage(stormwater runoff and sanitarysewage) were being annually dis­charged to our waterways. An out­raged and shocked publicdemanded that action be taken tostop the discharge of sewage toMichigan's surface water. Publicconcern , in addition to new federaland state regulations, has resultedin a flurry of activity aimed ateliminating CSOs. .

Industrial Advisory Board (lAB) members Tom Lannon, Kevin Darby, Seymour Padnos andJohn Puckett (left to right) visit Trendway Corporation in Holland. See story on Page 5.

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As part of the Grand RiverWater­shed Program, the Water Resour­ces Institute has recently releaseda report on the combined seweroverflow problem which existsalong the Grand River. The report ,entitled Combined Sewer Over­flows (CSOs) in the Grand RiverWatershed, provides an overview of

(See page 3)

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..•..·WRI.Looks at CSC's .,• . WRI·Stud')'ldel1tifies Toxic

Chemicals -.. • SUr'v'eyHesults-. • H.BrownSuperfundSite• . Expedition '90 Receives

.Recognition ... .• GISApplied to the GrcH'ldRiver

Watershed .>•• >Industrial Pollution Prevention. Gi6lJps . . .. •••••. . .

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What types of industries arereleasing or transferring toxicchemicals in the Grand RiverWater-

. shed? Are these chemicals goingto the air, water, or land? Whichcounties in the watershed are con­tributing the most toxic chemicals?These and many other questionsare answered in two studies - ToxicReleases in the Grand River Water­shed: 1987-1989 Trends and Issls:Releases in the Grand River Water­shed: 1990 Trends - recently com­pleted by the Water Resources In­stitute. These publications are partof a series of reports from WRI'sGrand RiverWatershed Program, afive-year program funded by TheGrand Rapids Foundation.

The information for these studieswas obta ined from the UnitedStates Environmental ProtectionAgency's Toxic Release Inventory(TRI). · The TRI is a yearly report

which compiles data from in­dustries that use or manufacturelarge amounts of toxic chemicals.The reporting of toxic chemical useand release by industry is inresponse to the 1984 chemicalproduction plant leak in Bhopal,India. In 1986, Congress recog­nized the need for communities tobe prepared for chemical emergen­cies and enacted the EmergencyPlanning and Community Right-to­Know Act (EPCRAor SARATitle III).

EPCRA requ ires industries tosubmit data on a group of over 300toxic chemicals to the U.S. EPAandinformation on hazardous chemi­cals to the state and local emergen­cy planning comm ittees (LEPCs).Each county and many cities haveLEPCs which can be contacted fordetails on emergency responseplans and information on specificfacilities. GVSU-WRI is repre-

(See page 4)

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In the June, 1992 issue of the REVIEW, readers were asked to respond tothe Water Resources Institute's 1992 Grand River Watershed Survey.Provided below is a summary of the survey results. Information obtainedfrom the survey will be used to help guide our Grand River WatershedProgram and other initiatives to protect and improve our water resources.Resultsare reported as a percentage of the total number of responses (145).

o What is the quality of the surface waters in your county?GOOD13.8%; FAIR55.9%; POOR 29.7%; DON'T KNOW 0.7%

o How would you rate the water quality of the Grand River and itstributaries?GOOD 5.5%; FAIR 41 .4%; POOR50.3%; DON'T KNOW 2.8%

o Topics of highest concern in the Grand River watershed:33.6% of the repondents chose combined sewer overflows (CSOs)as the

topic of highest concern in the Grand River watershed. Agricultural pol­lutants: 15%. Toxic substances: 10.1%, and Groundwater quality: 9.4%,followed CSOs.

o Topics considered not important in the Grand River watershed:21.5%ofthe respondents chose Recreationas not important in the Grand

River watershed. Atmospheric pollution: 18.2%, Fisheries: 10.9%, andWildlife: 9.6%. .

Respondents from Kent (48) and Ottawa (55) Counties considered CSOsto be very important followed by agricultural pollutants, groundwater quality,surface water quality and toxic substances.

According to the survey results, combined sewer overflows are preceivedas the most important environmental concern in the Grand Riverwatershed.Incidentally, the Water Resources Institute has addressed this issue with therecently completed report entitled Combined Sewer Ovedlows (CSOsl in theGrand River Watershed, see story on page one.

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The U.S. Environmental Protec­tion Agency (US EPA)has identifiednearly 1,600former users or Poten­tially Responsible Parties whichhave contributed hazardous was­tes to the west Michigan H. BrownSuperfund Site. The site, locatedjust west of the Grand River inWalker, Michigan, is contaminatedwith lead, antimony, arsenic, PCBsand volatile organic compounds(VOCs). The H. Brown site il­lustrates just how complex andcostly environmental problemshave become.

Contaminat ion of the H. Brownsite is largely the result of activit iestaking place between 1961 and1982which relate to the recovery oflead from wet-cell batteries. Upuntil 1978 of this period, batteryacid was drained directly to theground contributing to soil andgroundwater contam ination. TheU.S. EPA has estimated that be­tween 170,000 and 460,000 gallonsof battery acid have been disposedof on the property.

Under the Comprehensive En­vironmental Response, Compensa­tion, and Liability Act (CERCLA) ,current and former owners andoperators of the site as well as per­sons who arranged for disposal ortreatment of hazardous substancessent to the H. Brown site or personswho accepted hazardous substan­ces for transport to this site are li­able for costs associated with .remediation. Given the large num­ber of responsible parties, the EPAis offering a settlement which in­cludes payment of $10,000, $5,000or $1 ,000 depending on the volumeof waste contributed to the site.

Settlement payments will be ap­plied to the cost of cleanup which isestimated at $15 million. Cleanupwill likely include moving con­taminated soil and treating con­taminated ground and surfacewater before being discharged tothe Grand River.

.c ornbined SewefOJerfl6ws·... /Corltinued from ~ag~J .."" , , ," ,,, ,.. ". . ;" . ." .

Lansing 42.96%

Percent of the total volume of combined sewage each City discharged to the Grand Riverwatershed from June , 1991 through May, 1992.

the problem and an update con­cerning action taken by cities in thewatershed to eliminate CSOs.

The report states that five com­munities in the Grand River water­shed currently have CSOproblems: Jackson, East Lansing,Lansing, Grand Ledge, and GrandRapids. From June, 1991 throughMay, 1992, these five communitiesdischarged over one billion gallonsof combined sewage in the GrandRiver watershed. Lansing dis­charged nearly 500 million gallonswhile Grand Rapids and East Lans­ing discharged approximately 340and 308 million gallons, respective­ly. Jackson and Grand Ledge hadrelatively minor CSO discharges -­a combined total of 4 million gal­lons.

The WRI report also providesdetails on the how each communityplans on eliminating or effectivelytreating combined sewer over­flows. Grand Rapids recently con­structed a 30.5 million gallon reten­tion basin which is estimated to

Jackson and0.36% Grand Ledge

26.88%

East Lansing

eliminate 67% of the city's CSOs.The City also plans on separatingcombined sewers and improvingsewer capacity. Lansing and EastLansing intend to separate com­bined sewers and construct reten­tion basins. Jackson is currently inthe process of separating roofdrains and storm catch basinswhileGrand Ledge is separating its com­bined sewers. The report estimatesthat it will cost over $400 million andtake nearly 30 years to eliminateCSOs in the Grand River water­shed.

The report recommends thatcommunities initiate public educa­tion programs and continue tofinancially support CSO controlprojects.

If you would like more informa­tion concerning the report,~bined Sewer Overflows (CSOsJ inthe Grand River Watershed. pleasecontact Stacey Tabor at (616) 895­3749.

Grand River Expedition '90, co­sponsored by the Water ResourcesInstitute, was selected as a Nation­al Winner in the sixth annual TakePride in America award program.The award was received July 21,1992 at a ceremony held inWashington, D.C.

Grand RiverExpedition '90, a 13­day canoe trip of the Grand River inAugust of 1990, was led by outdoorenthusiasts Verlen and ValerieKruger. The journey started at theGrand River 's headwaters nearJackson and ended in GrandHaven. The Expedition set out topromote stewardship and aware­ness of the Grand River and docu­ments its values and problems.Over 50 canoes made the trip in­cluding teams from Michigan StateUniversity, the Michigan Depart­ment of Natural Resources, U.S.Soil Conservation Service and theWest Michigan 'Environmental Ac­tion Council. The public was ableto meet the canoeists as well asview displays, demonstrations andpresentations at eight sites alongthe way.

Throughout the length of the trip,WRI researchers collected andanalyzed surface water sampleswhich were used to classify theGrand River 's water quality.Results indicated water qualitydegradation below Jackson, Lans­ing and Grand Rapids. Severalmajor tributaries to the Grand, theRed Cedar and Rogue Rivers andCrockery Creek, were also found toexhib it poor water quality. Fulldetails of WRI's findings during Ex­pedition '90 are available in the pub­lication, Grand River Report: WaterQuaUty of the Grand River (WRIpublication #MR-90-7).

If you would like more informa­tion concerning Grand River Ex­pedition '90, please contact StaceyTabor at (616) 895-3749.

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sented on both the Kent Countyand Grand Rapids LEPCs and isco-sponsoring a seminar onDecember 2, 1992 to help com­panies comply with the EmergencyPlanning and Community Right-to­Know Act.

Significant findings from theToxics Release Inventory as sum­marized in Toxic Releases in theGrand River Watershed: 1987-1989Trends and Toxic Releases in theGrand River Watershed: 1990Trends are that over 19 millionpounds of toxic chemicals werereleasedor transferred in the GrandRiverwatershed in 1990.This is lessthan the 23 million pounds reportedin 1989and the maximum of almost27 million pounds in 1988. Nearly70%of the this total was releasedtothe air and approximately 25% rep­resented off-site transfers. Surfacewater discharges ranged from only0.01 % to 0.10% of the releases.

This information hasbeen helpful toWRI researchers as they pursuetheir Grand River watershedprojects as well as business or­ganizations, planners, lawyers,consultants, environmental groups,and local emergency planningcommittees.

From 1987 through 1990, thelargest amounts of reported chemi­cals were industrial solvents suchas xylene, toluene, methyl ethylketone, and acetone. Industrialcategories reporting the greatestreleases and transfers weretransportation equipment, rubberand plastics products, furniture andfixtures, fabricated metal products,and leather and leather products.

Kent County's share of the TRIreleasesand transfers in the GrandRiver watershed was 11 millionpounds in 1990- 52% of the water­shed total. Of the other 18counties

within the watershed, Ottawa Coun­ty ranked second and InghamCounty ranked third in releases.

In response to community con­cern about toxic chemicals, in­creasing governmental regulations,and rising costs of disposal of haz­ardous waste, many companies inthe Grand River watershed havepursued aggress ive poll ut ionprevention program s. Casestudies of companies are sum­marized in Toxic Releases in theGrand River Watershed: 1987-1989Trends with details concerning thecost savings reali zed throughwaste minimization activities. Formore information on these reportsor the upcoming seminar, contactJanet Vail , Coordinator of th eGVSU-WRI Waste Reduction andManagement Program, at (616)895-3749.

Toxic Chemical Releases and Transfers by County1987 - 1990 Trends in the Grand River Watershed

14

12

Millions 10

of 8Pounds

6

4

2

0

.1987

Erl1988

01989

f{B 1990

County

··G I~ Appl ied to tt1E:! Graf1 d·.» River Watershed · .

The Water Resources Institute isat the end of itsthird successful fieldseason since beginning the GrandRiverWatershed Program (GRWP) .Each summer since 1990, WRI re­searchers have headed to theGrand River and its tributariesprepared to collect fish, sediments,plant tissue, and water chemistrysamples for analysis back in thelaboratory. Over the course ofthree years, the WRI has been ableto generate a wealth of information.The challenge now is for us todevelop methods which make thisinformation available to local unitsof government and area decisionmakers.

This is where tools such asGeographic Information Systems(GIS) come into play. Simplystated, a GIS links what we knowabout a given area to some sort ofspatial coordinate system. A com­mon road map is a perfect exampleof a rudimentary GIS. A road mapnot only tells us the name of a givenroad but also where we can find itwithin the landscape -- a visualoverview of the entire transporta­tion system. Connect such a sys­tem to the capabilities of the com­puter and you have a powerful toolindeed. You could in fact catalogand retrieve information concern­irig every road in countriesthroughout the world, if that wereyour goal. Our goal, on the otherhand, is to better understand thoseissues impacting the health andwell-being of the Grand Riverwater­shed.

Geographic Information Sys­tems have been used by WRI re­searchers to locate and then docu­ment sample collection activities.The result has been very accurateand informative maps showingwhere and· what kind of environ­mental samples have been col­lected. The GIS is now beingemployed to aid in evaluating thegathered information.

According to Don Heeringa,President of Trendway Corpora ­tion, about $30-40thousand a year

. are saved through recycling andreuse programs at Trendway. In1990, 37,000 pounds of officepaper, 250,000 pounds of cor­rugated , and 50,000 pounds offabric were recycled. Heeringareviewed Trendway 's pollutionprevention program at the Julymeeting of the Industrial AdvisoryBoard (lAB). The lAB is part of theWater Resources Institute's WasteReduction and Management Pro­gram and GVSU's School of En­gineering Designfor Recycling Pro­gram. The lAB last met on-site atTrendway Corporation and touredthe plant's active employee recy­cling center.

Kevin Darby spearheadsTrendway's pollution prevention ef­fort which attempts to find a use forevery major component of thewaste stream. At the Waste Ex­change Expo in March, 1992, Mr.Darby was able to find businesses

that could use scrap t-molding andvinyl film. Waste sawdust is usedby farmers for bedding and gypsumboard is used in cat litter asa chemi­cal absorbent. Pallets are recycledand wood is presently sent to theHerman Miller incine rato r.Trendway would like to find a usefor the laminated wood scraps,however. The excellent supportfrom employees and uppermanagement ensuresthat the com­pany will continue to pursue wasteminimization efforts.

The next lAB meeting will be heldon October 21 , 1992 at Louis Pad­nos Iron and Meta l Company,Grand Rapids.

Building on the success of thelAB meetings, the Water ResourcesInstitute has been instrumental incoordinating a pollution preventiongroup for the lower Grand Riverwatershed and adjacent areas inMuskegon and Ottawa Counties.At a luncheon hosted by WRf'sWaste Reduction and Management

(See Page 7)

(See Page 7)Co-chairpersons Jim Gillespie Oeft) and Kevin Darby (right) of the Michigan Ottawa

Pollution Prevention Alliance (MOPP). .

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Summer research activities underWRI's Grand RiverWatershed Program (GRWP) included three collabora­tive projects with graduate students from KingstonUniversity, England.* The projects focused on externaland internal parasites of Grand River fish, a historicalanalysis of heavy metals in Grand River sediments, andan assessment of heavy metalaccumulation in wetlandsof the lower Grand River watershed.

Steve Martindill of Kingston University arrived in May,1992 to research the external and internal parasites ofGrand Riverfish. Martindill worked with Mark Luttenton,WRI Researcher and Assistant Professor of Biology atGVSU, collecting and examining over 500 fish in 3months. Martindill said he is "most interested in externaltumors, liver tumors and blood parasites of Grand Riverfish". Martindill has shipped his samples back toEngland where analyses will be completed . A report onthe findings of the fish tumor study will be available earlynext year.

Kingston University graduate student James Salis­bury worked closely with Patrick Thorpe , WRI Re­searcher and Assistant Professor of Biology at GVSU,collecting sediment core samples in the Grand River.Salisbury will use the samples for a historical analysis ofheavy metals in the Grand River. Cores collected belowJackson, at Lansing and near Grand Haven will enable

James SalisbUry,visiting graduate student from Kingston Univer­sity, England , cuts up a sediment core collected from the GrandRiver.

Steve Martindill from Kingston University, England , checks hisnets for fish along the Grand River.

Salisbury to also compare the heavy metal content ofthe upper, middle and lower segments of the GrandRiver. ''The results should be quite interesting given theindustrial activities which have gone on in the water­shed", comments Salisbury. Final analyses are beingcompleted in England. A report will be available earlynext year.

Michael Smith of Kingston University worked withFred Bevis, WRI Researcher and Associate Professor ofBiology at GVSU, collecting sediment and vegetationsamples from the lower Grand River's PottawottamieBayou. Smith will be assessing heavy metal uptake inplants and accumulation of heavy metals in wetlandsediments. The research will highlight the links betweenriver and wetland environments in terms of pollutantpathways. Smith adds that ''this is a preliminary assess­ment which will give an indication of the potentia lavailability and uptake of metals ". Information onSmith's findings will be available early next year.

If you would like more information on research ac­tivit ies under the Grand River Watershed Program,please contact.Stacey Tabor at (616) 895-3749.

* Partial funding for these projects was provided byThe Grand Rapids Foundation and The Samuel L.Westerman Foundation.

.... . .•....·Pollution ... Continued' frc>m Page5 .'..

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GIS Applied to the GrancfRiver Watershed U. ContirlUed from... .. . .. ...' . 'PageS .

.... . . .

Publications Available From the Water ResoLJrces Institute: '.•

.• Combined Sewer 6vei1lows (QSQ!s)ln 'theGranJiRiver Watershed ,•'.' WRIPLJblication#MR~92~4.

. . ..- ... . ..., . . ... . --....-..... ....:..... . .... ,.. " . . . .. ... , . . . . ... ... .. . . " .

• Toxic Releases in the GiimdRiverWatersHed 1987"e 1989 Tiends · ·........... " .. ".' " " '. . . . I , ..WRfPiJblication #MR~92~3 : ' .. .. . .

........... .. .. '.. .... . .. .

·.WRI Receh/es Award fromDNR

The Water Resources Institute recently received the "Partners in Respon­sible Conservation" Award from the Michigan Department of Natural Resour­ces (DNR) . The DNR's program is designed to recogn ize individuals andorganizations who have shown a commitment to conservation and environ­mental protection . WRI was selected for its involvement with stormwatermanagement , groundwater education, surface water quality research, andagricultural nonpoint source pollution. The award was presented September9, 1992 by the Natural Resources Commission .

WRI faculty and staff receiving individual awards: Fred Bevis, AssociateProfessor of Biology, John Koches, Research Associate, Kurt Thompson ,Research Assistant, and Ron Ward, WRI Director.

The process used to model soil erosion potential can also be used toexaminea host of environmental factors critical to the Grand Riverwatershed.This includes hydrology, sensitive habitats, forest production, populationgrowth, and economic development. It is no wonder then that WRI is soenthusiastic about the potential for GIS applications in the Grand Riverwatershed.

Let's use soil erosion as an example. We know that soil erosion by itselfis an important problem and one that leads to significant water qualitydegradation. Using a GIS with baseline data such as soil types, slopes, andland cover,we can identifywhere in the landscape we might expect excessiveerosion. Include with this information base the location of animal feedlotsand waste disposal practices and we can begin to measure pollution con­tributions from non-point sources as well. It is also possible to use thesesame basic techniques to measure the movement of pesticides throug h afarmer's field. Models generated through a GIS can be used to not onlypredict what is happening now but also what we might expect for the future.

A report titled, The Use Qf GeQr;raphic InfQrmatiQn Systems and RemQteSensinr; Techniques in the Analysis Qf the Grand River Watershed, is beingprepared by WRI for distribution later this fall.

I

As a coalition of business andindustry, the mission of MOPP willbe to foster a healthy economic en­vironment through promotion ofbusiness practices that minimizepollution and waste. MOPP willserve as a clearinghouse for wastereduction, recycling and other pol­lution prevention information, andcoordinate quarterly roundtablediscussions and on-site tours at in­dustries. In this respect, it will besimilar to the lAB which served as amodel for MOPP. It is anticipatedthat MOPP, however, will be a muchlarger group open to every busi- .nessand industry in Muskegon andOttawa County.

Program, business leaders met toexplore the formation of a pollutionprevention group. As a result,several planning meetings havetaken place and an outline of thestructure for the new group - theMichigan Ottawa Pollution Preven­tion Alliance (MOPP) wasdeveloped.

The Ottawa County, MuskegonCounty, and City of Muskegonresource recovery coordinatorsand representatives from SPX Cor­poration, Spectra Products , EagleOttawa Leather, JSJ Corporat ion,Lor in Industries, West MichiganSteel Foundry, Plumbs , the As­sociat ion of Commerce and In­dustry , Teledyne ContinentalMotors, and ESCO have all con­tributed to the initial organization ofMOPP. lAB member, Tom Lannon;who has recently retired from ACRochester, has served as a liaisonbetween MOPP and the GVSU In­dustrial Board. Jim Gillespieof Her­man Miller Inc. and Kevin Darby ofTrendway Corporation are co­chairpersons of the group.

For more information on the lABor MOPP, contact Janet Vail, Coor­dinator of the GVSUWaster Reduc­tion and Management Program at,895-3749.

• Toxic Releases in the GrandRiverWatershed, 1990 TrendsWRfPublicatiQn#MR-92-5

For more information call the WRI office at (616) 895-3749.

HERE'S THE COUPON!

Would you like to receive the WaterResources Review at your home oroffice? Fill in the coupon below, clipand mail it to us at the address listedunder Editor's Notes. We'll be sure toadd you to the mailing list in time forthe next issue.

NAME:---------

ADDRESS:- - - - ----

CITY:- - - - - - - - --STATE:--.:.,. _

ZIP CODE:--------

WATER RESOURCESINSTITUTE

Dr. Ronald Ward, Director

Water Resources Review

Stacey Tabor, EditorSherry Bouwman, Publishing

CoordinatorKurt Thompson, Technical Assistant

Contributing Authors:

Stacey Tabor, Research AssistantJohn Koches, Research AssociateJanet Vail, Research Associate

Editor's Notes

Water Resources Review is a pulcat ion of the Water Resour ces I?r­stitute , Grand Valley State University.Reproduction of materials containedwithin is encouraged. Permission isnot required , but acknowledgement isappreciated. For further informationwrite :

WATER RESOURCES REVIEWWater Resources InstituteGrand Valley State UniversityOne Campus DriveAllendale , MI 49401

Phone: 616/895 -3749Fax : 616/895 -3864

Articles for poss ible publication canbe submitted (double-spaced) to theaddress above .