Posted on June 29, 2017
By Randy Conat, abc12
Consumers Energy has begun dredging the Flint River near the University of Michigan-Flint campus. They’re removing pollutants that have been collecting there for 100 years.
In the early 1900s, there was a plant on the banks of the river that turned coal into a burnable gas. Coal tars were a side product that were dumped in the river. Consumers Energy later bought the plant and became responsible for the pollution.
Several pieces of earth moving equipment stand at the water’s edge near Robert T and East Boulevard. The muck is dumped into rectangular boxes called scows.
“When the sediments are dredged, they’re moved by scow to the riverbank and transported to a dewatering structure, where they’re allowed to dry. The dry sediment is later transported to a licensed landfill,” said Kevin Keane, of Consumers Energy.
The water is treated and pumped into the city’s sanitary sewer system. The Crim Festival of Races will alter some of its courses because of the project.
“The roads immediately adjacent to the project are closed to the public. There is still access to the post office,” Keane said.
There is talk of removing the Hamilton Dam that is downstream. If that happened, it would have been possible for the contamination to move further.
“Cleaning the sediment now will preclude it from transferring downstream later,” Keane said.
The project is expected to take about four months.
“We expect that we’ll be dredging and capping the river bottom until October,” Keane said.
When the contaminated muck is removed, clean sand, pea rock and larger rocks will be replace it.
“When the project is complete, the riverbank will be restored with native species and Consumers Energy will leave it better than we found it,” Keane said.
A footbridge over the river on the UM-Flint campus will be replaced by Consumers Energy at no cost to the city or university.
Source: abc12Flint River
