ASHLAND/NORTHERN STATES
POWER
(EXCEL ENERGY) LAKEFRONT PROJECT
SITE LOCATION
Ashland, Wisconsin, in northern Wisconsin, on Lake Superior.
SITE DESCRIPTION (as of dates of TOSC assistance)
Widespread contamination from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile
organic compounds (SVOCs) were identified on the site, along with high
concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at a "tar
dump" at the base of the bluff. Contamination has been identified
in the sediment off of the site in Lake Superior. The contamination extends
into the shallow aquifer at a depth of 26 feet and well into a deep aquifer
beneath the old MGP. Contaminated sediments extend to a depth of 12 feet
or more.
During exploratory work by Northern Environmental Technologies (NET)
on the water front for the expansion of the City's waste water treatment
plant in 1989, the groundwater and soil were found to be contaminated
with creosote and coal tar compounds. The City notified the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources. In 1994, the DNR commissioned Short Elliot
and Henderson (SEH) to characterize the extent of the contamination at
the site. The reports that SEH has produced include: Remedial Investigation
(July 1994), Sediment Investigation (July 1996), Baseline Human Health
Risk Assessment (June 1998), Ecological Risk Assessment (October 1998)
and Remediation Options (December 1998).
NSP commissioned Dames & Moore to characterize the extent of the
contamination at the site and review and comment on the SEH reports. The
reports that Dames and Moore have produced include: Site Investigation
(August 1995), Baseline Human Health Risk Assessment (March 1999), Ecological
Risk Assessment (March 1999) and Remediation Options (March 1999). On
June 7, 1999, DNR issued comments on the March 1999 D&M report.
Most recently the U.S. EPA has been asked to “score” the
site to determine if it should be on the National Priorities List (NPL).
WDNR, along with NSP and other stakeholders are building a decision matrix,
which will be used to develop the site remediation plan.
ORGANIZATIONS REQUESTING ASSISTANCE
Ashland/Bayfield League of Women Voters
The Lake Superior Alliance
The Inland Sea Society
Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute of Northland College
BEGINNING DATE OF ASSISTANCE
February 1999
ENDING DATE OF ASSISTANCE
November 2002
INFORMATION CONTACT
Kirk Riley
TOSC Program Manager
Tel: (517) 355-7493
Fax: (517) 432-1550
E-mail: rileyki@egr.msu.edu
SUMMARY OF TOSC ASSISTANCE
In 1999, TOSC met with community stakeholders, including citizens groups,
city officials, Northern States Power Company (NSP) officials, tribal
leaders and others. For more about the Ashland site and TOSC's involvement,
see the July 15 Ashland Daily Press. During the meeting, Ashland citizens
described their concerns and suggested areas of investigation for TOSC.
For more on citizen questions and concerns, follow this link.
In January 2000, TOSC and the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute held
a joint Education and Information Session concerning the investigation
of the contamination of the soils and sediments around the lakefront site.
For more about the session, including a detailed description of the meeting
and a complete set of the documents TOSC and the SOEI distributed, please
follow this link.
In February 2000, a meeting was held on the human health risk assessment
conducted by Northern States Power. The materials provided are available
by clicking here.
A public meeting held in April 2000 focused on the topic of Ecological
Risk Assessment and included presentations by Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources, Northern States Power, the Lake Superior Research Institute
and TOSC. For more information on the meeting, including presentation
materials and fact sheets, click here.
Finally, TOSC provided an independent review of the Ecological Risk Assessment
related to contaminated sediments from the NSP site. The ERA was conducted
by SEH, under contract with W-DNR. TOSC also reviewed Dames and Moore’s
separate ERA document. TOSC’s findings can be found here.
|
