Muskegon Lake Area of Concern

Background
Beneficial Use Impairments
Delisting Targets
RAP Development and Status
RAP Implementation
RAP-Related Publications
Community Involvement
Partners and Stakeholders
Contacts

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Muskegon Lake AoC Boundary Map
(PDF 796Kb 1 page)
(click on map to view in separate window)
Muskegon Lake Shape File

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.

Background

Graphic showing the Land Use/Cover in the Muskegon Lake Area of Concern -1997

Muskegon Lake is a 4,149 acre inland coastal lake located in Muskegon County, Michigan along the east shoreline of Lake Michigan. The Area of Concern (AoC) includes the entire lake with the lake being separated from Lake Michigan by sand dunes. The Muskegon River flows through the lake before emptying into Lake Michigan. Additional tributaries include Mosquito Creek, Ryerson Creek, Ruddiman Creek, Green Creek, and Four Mile Creek. The immediate inland area is primarily residential and industrial, with chemical and petrochemical companies, foundries, a pulp and paper mill, and other industries located on the lake or within its immediate watershed.

The Muskegon Conservation District and the Natural Resources Conservation Service assist the Muskegon Lake Public Advisory Council (PAC) by providing project staff as well as educational and technical support to coordinate and implement the RAP for the Muskegon Lake AoC. For more details about the Muskegon Lake PAC, see Community Involvement below.

Muskegon Lake priorities include remediation of contaminated sediments in the lake and tributaries, prevention of eutrophication, nonpoint source pollution control, brownfield and waterfront restoration, and habitat restoration.

Why was this area listed as an AoC?

In 1985 Muskegon Lake was designated an AoC because of water quality and habitat problems associated with the historical discharge of pollutants into the AoC, and the potential adverse effect the pollutants could have on Lake Michigan. The high levels of nutrients, solids, and toxics entering the lake had caused a series of problems including nuisance algal blooms, reduced oxygen in the lake's deeper water, tainted taste of fish due to petroleum products in the water, and contaminated sediments. The pollutant discharges also were suspected of contributing to the degradation of benthos (bottom-dwelling organisms, also referred to as the benrhic community), the contamination of fish, and the reduction in fish and wildlife habitat. In addition, the development of chemical, petrochemical, and heavy industries was causing localized groundwater contamination that was moving toward the lake and its tributaries.

Beneficial Use Impairments

Muskegon Lake Beneficial Use Impairments

Of the 14 beneficial uses , these are impaired for Muskegon Lake:

Beach Closings
Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption
Eutrophication or undesirable algae
Restrictions on drinking water consumption, or taste and odor
Degradation of fish and wildlife populations
Degradation of aesthetics
Degradation of benthos
Restriction on dredging activities
Loss of fish and wildlife habitat

Through the Remedial Action Planning (RAP) process the Muskegon Lake Public Advisory Council (PAC) and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) RAP Team have identified several priority beneficial uses as being impaired. Beneficial use impairments in the AoC include Restrictions on Fish & Wildlife Consumption, Degradation of Fish & Wildlife Populations, Degradation of Benthos, and Restrictions on Dredging Activities.

Restrictions on Fish & Wildlife Consumption:
Consumption advisories in the Muskegon Lake Area of Concern have been imposed due to PCB and mercury contamination.

Muskegon Lake and the Muskegon River below Croton Dam:
There is a consumption advisory on carp. The general population should not consume carp 30 inches or more, and should only consume carp 26-30 inches one meal per week. Women and children should not consume carp 26 inches or greater, and should only consume carp one meal per month if 6 to 26 inches.

Muskegon Lake:
There are additional consumption advisories on largemouth bass, northern pike (for women and children), and walleye. The general population should only consume largemouth bass one meal per week, while women and children should only consume largemouth bass one meal per month. Women and children should limit their consumption of northern pike 22 to 26 inches to one meal per week, and 26 inches or greater to one meal per month. The consumption advisory on walleye from the Muskegon Lake limits the general population to one meal per week if 18 inches or more. Women and children should consume walleye 14 to 22 inches only one meal per month, and walleye 22 inches or greater to six meals per year.

Muskegon River below Croton Dam:
Redhorse sucker 18 to 30 inches should only be consumed by the general population one meal per week, while women and children should limit this consumption to one meal per month. There is also a consumption restriction for women and children on walleye in this area. Women and children should limit their consumption of walleye 14 to 18 inches to one meal per week, 18 to 26 inches one meal per month, and 26 inches and greater to six meals per year.

Please Note: Since fish advisories change year to year, the Michigan Fish Advisory guide (published annually) should be consulted for restrictions and advisories. Be sure to check for general inland lake mercury advisories.

Degradation of Fish & Wildlife Populations:
According to Michigan standards, Muskegon Lake is a fine fishery. Muskegon Lake has also been described as the most popular and valuable fishery in western Michigan. It supports excellent populations of northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow perch, suckers, sunfish, crappie, and bullheads. However, many of the highly productive bays have been dredged or filled for marinas or other development.

One goal of the AoC is to provide for suitable habitat to support restoration of warmwater fishery. There is a need to protect against additional development along the North Shore where many of the bays and inlets are located. Additionally, severe habitat degradation is evident in Little Bear Creek and its unnamed tributary.

Degradation of Benthos:
Benthic communities found near localized sediment contamination are dominated by pollutant-tolerant species. However, the degradation of benthic populations have yet to be defined.

Restrictions on Dredging Activities
Every two years or so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredges the channel connecting Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan. The cost of analyzing dredge spoils is very high.

Loss of Fish & Wildlife Habitat
During winter and summer stratification, oxygen levels in deep water remain depleted, making these areas uninhabitable for some fish or fish food species. The shoreline continues to be altered by dredging and by installation of seawalls, bulkheads, and riprap. The Muskegon Lake Area of Concern has received funding for some habitat work toward remediation.

Delisting Targets

The post-remediation condition at the upstream reaches of Ruddiman Creek. The headwaters of Ruddiman Creek form at the sewer outfall pictured here. The large boulders were added to the banks to help dampen flows from extreme rain events that enter the creek.

The post-remediation condition at a downstream location along Ruddiman Creek. The Glenside Neighborhood Association is recruiting community volunteers to assist with restoration (planting and maintenance) of native plants along the creek banks in Spring 2006.

FISH HABITAT: The rocks and gravel were placed in Ruddiman Creek both for erosion control and creek bank stabilization after contaminated sediments were removed.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality have partnered to fund the removal of contaminated sediments in Ruddiman Creek.

To accomplish sediment removal in the Pond, Ruddiman Creek was dammed up near the Lakeshore Drive bridge so that the water level was raised about two feet. This allowed barges and a tug to be floated.

A back hoe with a clam bucket digs up sediment from the Pond's bottom and deposits it on a barge. The little red tug moves barges back and forth to a loading dock.

A section of original streambed that has been excavated to a depth that removed the contaminated sediment that was present. Note that sheet piling is installed in the background to protect the creek bank from collapse. Also note the pipeline draped over the sheet piling which conveys contaminated drainage from a drying bed. This is pumped all the way to treatment plant at the Pond.

The Muskegon Lake PAC is the local organization with the responsibility to initiate the BUI delisting process. The PAC will work with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the International Joint Commission throughout the process to determine whether or not a BUI is restored and if it should be delisted from the AoC. The Muskegon Lake PAC intends that identified targets and indicators be updated annually, and that they will be used to document a “body of evidence” that a BUI is being restored. In some cases, all targets listed for a BUI may be met before delisting is initiated. In other cases, a majority of the targets may be met, and the PAC could decide that it is either not possible to attain certain targets or that they are no longer necessary to restore the BUI.

View current Muskegon Lake delisting targets from the Muskegon Lake Community Action Plan . The PAC has developed updated delisting targets now under peer review.

RAP Development and Status

Significant RAP Milestones

2002: Muskegon Lake Community Action Plan (RAP update) completed.
This update to the Muskegon Lake RAP established a restoration vision and a set of community-based qualitative restoration targets for restoration efforts. Over the winter of 2003-2004, the PAC developed a project to involve stakeholders in the development of numerical restoration targets for fish and wildlife, water quality and related natural resource issues.
1994: Muskegon Lake Remedial Action Plan Update completed. This document achieved five objectives:
1. Ensuring participation in the process by a public advisory council as well as a team of specialists from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources;
2. Documenting water quality data collected and analyzed since the plan was published in 1987;
3. Analyzing the current status of AoC use impairments;
4. Making recommendations that if carried out will lay the foundation for the next phase of the process, implementing specific measures to remediate the water quality problems of the AoC; and
5. Identification of data and information gaps.
1993: Muskegon Lake PAC established. The Muskegon Lake Public Advisory Council (PAC) is a coalition of community interests dedicated to working cooperatively for the improvement of the Muskegon Lake ecosystem through the Remedial Action Plan (RAP) process.
1987: Muskegon Lake Remedial Action Plan completed.
This Status Report is an update of progress made by the State of Michigan to address the problems in the Muskegon Lake Area of Concern (AoC) identified by the International Joint Commission as one of Michigan's fourteen Areas of Concern.

RAP Implementation

Recent Progress and Achievements

On April 25, 2005, the Muskegon Lake draft targets for restoration and delisting were presented at two public meetings. The PAC has been working with Grand Valley State University to establish the targets and reach consensus before presenting them to the larger watershed community. The PAC’s next steps are to gather broad public input on the draft targets and to have the targets peer reviewed before presenting them to DEQ.
Twenty-seven volunteers attended a training for the Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring program on April 2, 2005 along Four Mile Creek in the Muskegon Lake watershed. Volunteers signed up to monitor marsh birds, frogs and toads to help determine the effectiveness of cleanup and rehabilitation efforts within the Muskegon Lake and White Lake AoCs.

Current Projects and Outlook

Ruddiman Creek contaminated sediment cleanup project is close to being underway. The creek is a contaminated tributary on the southwest corner of Muskegon Lake.
The Muskegon Lake PAC is working with the Ruddiman Creek Task Force to compile comments for DEQ and U.S. EPA on the final Ruddiman Creek workplan. The plan calls for removal of 70,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from Ruddiman Creek. Coordination meetings are being held locally with DEQ, U.S. EPA, project contractors, the PAC, City of Muskegon and other local agencies.
Plans are also underway to assess contaminated sediment in Ryerson Creek and in Muskegon Lake at the Division Street Outfall. Ruddiman, Ryerson and the Division Street Outfall are priority contaminated sediment areas within the Muskegon Lake AoC.

RAP-Related Publications

2004: Sediment Survey of Three Tributaries of Muskegon Lake Muskegon Lake
[PDF 271KB, 44 pages]
2002: A Hydrologic Study of the Ryerson Creek Watershed
[PDF 540KB, 29pages]

In addition, a public repository of AoC-related documents for the Muskegon Lake and White Lake AoCs is maintained by the:

Muskegon Conservation District
1001 East Wesley
Muskegon, MI 49442
Tel: (616) 773-0129

Muskegon Lake Documents not mentioned in above sections in the repository include:

Muskegon and White Lake Aquatic Assessment, 1995
Muskegon Lake and White Lake Water Quality and Sediment Study (tributaries and storm outfalls), 1995
Muskegon Lake Wildlife Habitat Assessment, 1995/1996
Muskegon Lake Sediment, U.S. EPA/MDNR, 1994
Muskegon River Fisheries Assessment, 1994
Maps on Habitat, Soils, Land Use and Forest Population
LakeWatch and Adopt-A-Stream volunteer data

Community/Local RAP Group Involvement

The Muskegon Lake Public Advisory Council (PAC) is a coalition of community interests dedicated to working cooperatively for the improvement of the Muskegon Lake ecosystem through the RAP process. Members come from all sectors of the local community, including business and labor, environmental and conservation groups, government and other organizations, educational entities, as well as the general public.

Very successful public involvement and education projects in the AoC have increased public interest and actions in water quality improvements. Such projects have been ongoing regularly since the formation of the PAC and the beginning of the RAP process for Muskegon Lake.

The Muskegon Lake PAC continues to work with community groups to carry out spring watershed celebrations. The events involve students and community members in hands-on, educational stewardship activities. A calendar of PAC meetings and events is available on the web at www.muskegonlake.org.

Partners and Stakeholders

Muskegon Lake AoC Contacts

U.S. EPA RAP Liaison:
Dr. Marc Tuchman
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes National Program Office (G-17J)
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604
Tel: (312) 353-1369
Fax: (312) 353-2018
Email: tuchman.marc@epa.gov

State RAP Contact:
Julie Sims, RAP Contact
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality – Water Bureau
525 W. Allegan Street
P.O. Box 30273
Lansing, MI 48909
Tel: (517) 335-2732
Fax: (517) 335-4381
Email: simsj@michigan.gov

Muskegon Lake PAC Chair:
Dr. Richard Rediske
Grand Valley State University
Annis Water Resources Institute
740 Shoreline Drive
Muskegon, MI 49441
Tel: (616) 331-3047
Fax: (616) 331-3864
Email: redisker@gvsu.edu

Local Coordinator:
Kathy Evans, Coordinator
Muskegon Lake PAC and SPAC Representative
c/o Timberland RC&D Area Council
6655 Alpine Avenue, NW
Comstock Park, MI 49321
Tel: (616) 784-1090 or 784-9942
Fax: (616) 784-1268
Email: kevansrcd@aol.com