The contamination assessment of the City of Grand Haven's Harbor Island has been ongoing since the decommissioning of the J.B. Sims Generating Station in 2020.

The first remediation project was the removal of a coal pile. Efforts now are in the works for the second remediation project, which is being called The North Channel CCR Removal Project. The North Channel was so named by EGLE (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) and the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) who dug the channel in order to usher discharge from the island's two impoundments into the northern wetland area. It is in this vicinity that the project will take place.

BLP is overseeing and funding the remediation of the island. Earlier this year it was determined that the CCR removal from the wetland area is a unique enough segment of the entire undertaking to warrant it being its own separate project. There is a sense of urgency in the timeline since beginning this initiative before the end of the year while the water level is low would result in a significant cost savings.

The North Channel CCR Removal Project received approval from EGLE this past July, and the City began accepting bids. 3 sealed bids were received and publicly opened in August. HDR, the architecture/engineering consulting firm working with the City, reviewed the bids for “compliance, accuracy, and completeness,” weighing the bids and proposed methods in the following areas:

• General Project Requirements

• Mobilization/Demobilization

• Site Management

• Impacted Soil Excavation

• Dewatering of Saturated Soils

• Transportation to landfill

• Disposal of Soils

• Restoration

• Maintenance of seeded areas

The original parameters given to the contractors had suggested using a wet mechanical excavation without dewatering or water treatment. However, two of the bidders explained construction costs would substantially increase in the fall and winter months if dewatering wasn’t used.

HDR and City staff responded to the feedback by working with EGLE to secure a permitted discharge location for safety and efficiency. Since the final permit conditions and treatment requirements haven’t been established, HDR requested approval from City Council for a $250,000 allowance to cover potential costs.

With the additional $250,000 allowance added to the submitted bids, Taplin Enterprises of Kalamazoo, Michigan came in as the lowest bidder. HDR described Talpin as having “a strong understanding of the project's technical and site-specific challenges and presented practical approaches to mitigate anticipated construction and environmental risks.” As for the uncertainty and potential impacts dewatering could cause, “Taplin's proposed methodology demonstrated a more comprehensive understanding of site conditions...” compared to the other bidders.

According to HDR, contracting with Talpin would provide the best combination of pricing, understanding, approach and confidence for a successful project execution, and HDR recommended Talpin be chosen for the project.
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City Council Approval

On Tuesday, September 8, Project Management Director Derek Gajdos appeared before the City Council to present HDR’s recommendation and supply additional information. He explained that while the project lists the maximum area of disturbance to the wetlands will be 4.2 acres, only about half of that is intended to be touched.  

Before the project can move forward, the wetland permit is the still needed, which is a critical permit. Gajdos shared that EGLE had visited the site the week before to collect final observations, and samples were taken on September 8 in preparation for a potential discharge.

The planned project, simply put, will involve going into the wetlands and taking the CCR out. No further remediation or mitigation "necessarily" will be required in the wetlands. In regard to impact, most of the area is shallow and likely only a foot and a half of sediment will be removed when the CCR material is taken out. And as an added benefit, Gajdos shared that everything the initiative will touch will result in a much healthier wetland since there are currently "invasives" in the pond. Once the project is complete, EGEL will provide an intense verification process to make sure all the CCR material is out.

As for the additional $250,000, Gajdos assured the Council that it’s for “a worst case scenario" and would cover three months of treatment—depending on what is found. “But we don’t think there actually is PFAS in the wetlands,” he said. Even so, until the water samples come back, it’s unclear who would be responsible to pay for the extra cost. The project is set up to be all of BLP’s responsibility. However, if PFAS is found, the City’s agreement with BLP is that the City will pay for the PFAS treatment portion of the project.

Gajdos added that he didn’t think there will be anything found that would result in major water treatment, but that the allowance is a “just in case.” He pointed out that it takes time to get approval of both the Council and the BLP board, and setting up an allowance would allow the project to keep moving.

Upon recommendation from HDR and City staff, the City Council approved awarding Taplin Enterprises the not-to-exceed contract amount of $1,925,598.78, which includes the $250,000.00 water treatment allowance—contingent on BLP also approving.

The next BLP board meeting is :

September 17, 6:00 pm
1700 Eaton Drive

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