Toxic sediments from industrial activities in the previous century are moving downstream from Muskegon County’s Little Black Creek into Mona Lake, which connects directly to Lake Michigan. The $346,800 appropriation will build upon AWRI studies that have determined that one of the major reasons for sediment movement is water run-off from the highly concentrated road network in this region.
“Although we know that stormwater run-off from the highly concentrated road network is resulting in environmental degradation in the creek basin, it is not known which areas are most responsible for these impacts and the degree to which the stormwater run-off is toxic,” said AWRI Director Al Steinman, principal investigator for the new study. “I am grateful to Rep. Hoekstra, who helped direct the funding for this project to AWRI.”
Water moves quickly off these impervious surfaces and enters either directly from surface run-off or collects first through storm drains and then enters Little Black Creek. The erosive force of this run-off scours the sediments from the streambed, transports them in the water column, and redeposits them further downstream.
"It is encouraging to see that the long-anticipated study has been
authorized to proceed," said U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland. "It will
help local authorities to better understand the role of the local road
network in transporting contaminants that contributed to an environmental
and human health risk in Little Black Creek."
Steinman said the new study includes eight major tasks that will determine the extent of environmental impairment caused by road-induced runoff, and the associated industrial activities in the basin, so that the appropriate restoration and remediation activities can be implemented.
Contact Dr. Alan Steinman at [email protected] (231) 728-3601 or (616) 331-3749
BACKGROUND:
The Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute at Grand Valley State University is a comprehensive environmental organization focused on: (1) Ecological Research, including state-of-the-art instrumentation geared toward biological and chemical analyses; (2) Information Services, with a state-of-the-art geospatial and GIS lab; and (3) Education and Outreach (over 100,000 students and adults have sailed on our two research vessels since 1986), which teaches about regional and Great Lakes water resource-related issues.
Co-principal investigators for the study are Rick Rediske, Carl Ruetz, and Xuefeng Chu, all from AWRI. They have been working on environmental aspects of Little Black Creek and Mona Lake Watershed for the past five years, including work on land use change, sediment contamination, invertebrate and fish community structure, and nutrient impacts.
Little Black Creek is one of the major tributaries in the Mona Lake Watershed, a small, heavily impacted basin in West Michigan that connects directly to Lake Michigan. This Creek flows directly through Muskegon Heights, a largely African-American community that is at a considerable economic disadvantage compared to its neighboring community, Norton Shores.
Little Black Creek sediments are highly contaminated with cadmium, chromium, lead, PAH compounds, including benzo(a)pyrene, and PCBs. Most of the samples have contaminant concentrations that exceed the standards generally applied for the protection of aquatic life. In addition, concentrations of lead, benzo(a)pyrene, and cadmium are at levels that exceed human health criteria for long term direct contact.
This project will consist of 8 major tasks:
- identification of run-off locations at the road-stream crossings of US 31/Seaway Drive and Little Black Creek
- characterization of the water quality and quantity of runoff from US 31 and Seaway Drive to Little Black Creek
- toxicity assessment of the runoff water
- changes in geomorphology of Little Black Creek, with special attention to streambank erosion and movement of sediments associated with runoff events
- impacts of runoff on biota, using bioassays and controlled experiments
- engineering assessment of retrofits to minimize the erosive potential associated with increased runoff volumes and velocities from US 31 and Seaway Drive
- an information and education component
- a final report.
Full descriptions of these and other projects are available at the AWRI Web site: www.gvsu.edu/wri/ .
