The DEQ today announced an April 10 public meeting and hearing on a proposal to clean sediment and riverbanks on the Huron River at the former MichCon Manufactured Gas Plant site in Ann Arbor. MichCon property owners are proposing to remove sediment, near shore soil, and some contaminated upland soil from the Huron River and its south bank at the MichCon plant site near Broadway Street. This plan requires a construction permit from DEQ.
HRWC’s River-Up project and the Wolfpack had brought together the City of Ann Arbor and DTE to discuss transforming the MichCon/DTE site on the Huron River into a public-private partnership that includes a park and river-friendly commercial establishment. Clean-up and restoration of this coal gasification site just below Argo Dam is underway and will revitalize this area and improve the ecology of the river environs.
The public meeting and hearing will be held at Cobblestone Farm, located at 2781 Packard Road in Ann Arbor. Doors will open in the big barn on the second floor at 6 p.m. for informal discussion with DEQ staff, followed by a public meeting at 7 p.m., and a formal hearing to gather public comment around 8 p.m.
As part of the permit review process, the DEQ also is accepting written public comment on the plan through April 30, 2012. A copy of the plan can be viewed at: ftp://ftp.deq.state.mi.us/deq-outgoing/ Insert the user I.D.: deq-public-ftp, and the password “Jumbl355#.”
A copy of the construction permit application may be viewed at this web site: www.deq.state.mi.us/CIWPIS/ (enter file # 11810066, select Search, then click on the folder icon for specific information).
In addition, copies of both the plan and permit application can be viewed at the downtown Ann Arbor District Library, 343 South Fifth Avenue, and at the DEQ Jackson District Office, 301 E. Louis Glick Highway in Jackson (517-780-7690).
For More Information: Brad Wurfel, 517-373-7917, wurfelb@michigan.gov
Ray Spaulding, 517-780-7832; spauldingr1@michigan.gov
James Sallee, 517-780-7910; salleej@michigan.gov