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2008 Federal Duck Stamp Contest
Phone: 612-713-5360 |
Tobico Marsh Restoration Completed!
We completed our restoration project for Tobico Marsh in November of 2004. The construction work included modifications to the flap gate at Tobico Lagoon and improvements to the existing culverts under Parish Road. The goals of the restoration work are to improve water flow through the marsh, increase northern pike spawning, and minimize flooding risks to nearby residences.
The Problem
Beginning in the 1940s, industrial facilities and wastewater treatment plants on the Saginaw River, Michigan, released PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and related compounds into the Saginaw River. Because of on-site contamination, releases from the facilities continued after PCBs were banned in the 1970s. These releases caused environmental damage to the ecosystem of the Saginaw Bay. Saginaw Bay is regarded as one of the prime walleye fishing and waterfowl hunting areas in the Great Lakes and also drains into Lake Huron, so contaminants from the River and Bay pose far reaching risks if not contained and halted. Contamination has impacted fish and wildlife resources in the Saginaw River and Bay, resulting in advisories against human consumption of fish for all species of fish in the River and many species of fish in the Bay. Also, bald eagle reproduction is significantly lower in these areas than is found in less contaminated areas.The Solution
A co-trustee group consisting of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of Michigan, and the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe, performed a Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA). The co-trustee group reached a negotiated settlement for natural resource damages in 1998 with General Motors Corporation and the cities of Bay City and Saginaw. The settlement is providing for substantial cleanup of river contamination and for protection and restoration of fish and wildlife habitats in the Saginaw River and Bay.
The Consent Judgement for this settlement and instructions on how to obtain it are described in a Federal Register Notice (30 November 1998, Volume 63, Number 229, pages 65812-65813).
Projects and Elements of the Settlement and Restoration
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Dredging of 342,433 cubic yards of the most contaminated areas of the river |
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Habitat protection and restoration |
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Green Point Environmental Learning Center |
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Restoration Account |
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Cost recovery |
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silt
curtains, water quality monitoring, and gasketted clamshell dredge
used The Benefits
The settlement and pending restorations are expected to result in a cleaner and healthier ecosystem for natural resources and people through the removal of PCBs from the Saginaw River. This means fewer PCBs in fish, wildlife and people who eat fish. Meanwhile, fish and wildlife benefit from additional habitat which is being restored and protected. Another benefit of the settlement will be the enhanced recreational opportunities and improved economic possibilities for the area as the stigma of contamination is replaced with the knowledge that the watershed is a cleaner and safer place with rich natural resources for use by the American people.
Reports
The links below will allow you to view the Trustees' reports concerning the Saginaw River and Bay Natural Resource Damage Assessment.
Most reports will be in PDF format and you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them.
Final Environmental Assessment and 90% Plan for Tobico Marsh, released November 5, 2004.
A Post-Sediment Removal Caged Fish Study of the Saginaw River Watershed, June 18 - July 16, 2002, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Report MI/DEQ/WB-04-077
A Sediment Sampling Survey of the Saginaw River, Bay County, Michigan, September 2-3, 2003 , Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Report MI/DEQ/WD-04-001
Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Edward M. Golson Boat Launch and Nature Park. Comments on a draft EA were accepted through November 30, 2001. The Service reviewed the comments, made a Finding of No Significant Impact, and completed the final EA on December 20, 2001.
Fact Sheet for the Saginaw River and Bay NRDA, March 1999 (193k pdf format)
Summary of Public Meeting on Dredging held November 1999, "Inside Region 3" newsletter (972k pdf format)
Federal Register Notice of Consent Judgment (21k pdf format)
News Relating to the Settlement
Bay City Times article "Cleanup of PCBs complete", August 10, 2001. (no longer available online)
Trustee press release "Dredging Completed Ahead of Schedule in Clean-up of Saginaw River and Bay Contaminants", July 23, 2001. (no longer available online)
Ducks Unlimited press release "$1 Million Grant Approved for Saginaw Bay Wetlands", April 20, 2001. A coalition of citizen organizations and resources agencies successfully used parts of this settlement as matching projects in order to get a North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant for additional wetland restoration projects impacting 3,000 acres in the watershed.
Bay City Times article "Bay environmental cleanup makes headway", December 7, 2000. (no longer available online)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Links
Region 3 Contaminants Program Homepage
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's NRDA Restoration Program
Other Links
For more information on NRDA in general, visit:
Department of Interior's NRDA HomepageFor more information on the Cable-Arm dredging technology, visit:
Cable-Arm, Inc. webpages [external link, see disclaimer, below]To learn more about lakeplain prairie, one of the habitat types we are trying to restore, visit Michigan Natural Features Inventory and look at their Lakeplain Prairie (link to pdf file) and Lakeplain Wet-Mesic Prairie (link to pdf file) Abstracts
The Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network
Measures of Success in the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay, a report from The Partnership for the Saginaw Bay on the environmental progress and actions still needed for the watershed.
Contacts
If you have any questions or comments related to the Saginaw River and Bay NRDA, contact us via email or telephone:
Lisa Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, East Lansing Field Office, 517-351-8324
Frank Horvath, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 3 NRDA Coordinator, 612-713-5336
Larry Dean, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 3 External Affairs Office, 612-713-5312
