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Study: Chemicals still flow
A draft study of the cement kiln dust pile on the shore of Thunder Bay shows toxic chemicals continue to flow from it into the groundwater and the bay.
The pile contains cement and clinker dust. Both materials are generated in the cement manufacturing process.
The cement kiln dust is from the early part of the process. It doesn't have the properties to make good cement so it was not used. Clinker dust is from the end product coming from the kiln and once was stockpiled in the open air near the cement kiln dust pile.
At a meeting Wednesday conducted by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, a team of environmental technicians from DLZ Michigan Inc. explained to a crowd of about 35 people the history of the 80-acre pile and its composition.
John Johnston, a hydrogeologist, said because the water table passes through a portion of the bottom of the cement kiln dust pile, groundwater is steeped in chemicals over a long duration, much like a tea bag in water. Water from rain and melted snow also passes through the pile from top to bottom, like a coffee percolator, with the chemicals in the cement kiln dust trickling down into the groundwater.
Bob Wagner, manager of the DEQ's environmental response division, said his staff members still are digesting the information in the study and will release their reaction by early November. At that time the report will be finalized.
He said the study was important in determining the paths by which the dust and chemical pollution leave the pile. The paths are precipitation, wind and waves. With documentation of how the material leaves the pile, the department will be able to recommend methods to halt that movement.
"We also will be looking at how CKD can be reused or recycled as much as possible, perhaps in its entirety," Wagner said.
Mercury has been found in the pile, groundwater and lake at higher levels than in a groundwater monitor well located away from the site.
"It's still an issue and we'll be able to give our conclusion on that later," he said.
Wagner said the department was providing the public with the draft report without a recommendation so citizens could see the information as soon as it was available.
The pile was deposited primarily in the years 1950-1954 and possibly later.
The pile first came to the attention of the DEQ in the late 1990s when a Department of Natural Resources staff member saw the erosion of the waste material into the bay. The information was passed along the chain of command and a study was ordered.
When National Gypsum purchased Huron Portland Cement Company, it inherited the pile as well. The process of deciding how to proceed with the problem is complicated by the fact that National Gypsum today is not the same company it was then because of bankruptcy.
"That's important because we're dealing with a new company, a company that did not cause the problem under state law. National Gypsum Company at the time declined to do the investigation that we felt was necessary, so the state has undertaken that work," he said.
This report was concerned only with the cement kiln dust pile and its
impact on the land. The next report, to be presented in the near future,
will focus on how the pile has affected the water and organisms in the water.
Because of the numerous requests from our online readers, The Alpena News has added the following page: OBITUARIES |
Huron-Manistee National Forest fire coverage is here.
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