Category: Announcements

On Saturday June 19th from 1:00-4:00pm, the Wolverine CAG is co-sponsoring an event titled Paddle & Pints – Restoration of the Rogue. 

During Paddle & Pints, attendees will first hear from Karen Vorce from the Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) on the status of the Rogue River PFAS cleanup. Following Karen’s update, AAA Livery Service will drop off attendees’ kayaks on Friske Avenue so everyone can kayak down the Rogue together, meeting at the Rockford dam. And last but not least, after paddling, attendees can meet up for pints at one of Rockford’s Green Leader businesses.

Registration is free, but there are fees involved for canoes and kayaks. Please visit the event website for more information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/paddle-pints-restoration-of-the-rogue-tickets-153153581485. This event is also sponsored by LGROW, Rockford SusCom, and Rogue River Watershed Partners.

Use this link to register for a public meeting webinar hosted by The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). They will be accepting public comments regarding Wolverine World Wide’s Feasibility Study for the former House Street Disposal Site located at 1855 House Street NE, Plainfield Township, Kent County, Michigan.

The description is copied below and can be found at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PEFCnFmMS7i3ZHtUPKhz5g:

Written comments are being accepted until April 17, 2021, on a Feasibility Study of potential remedial options for the House Street Disposal Site that Wolverine World Wide (Wolverine) is required to conduct as outlined in the February 19, 2020, Consent Decree between the State of Michigan, Algoma and Plainfield Townships, and Wolverine. The Consent Decree document is posted online and can be found at: www.michigan.gov/belmont.

An electronic copy of this Feasibility Study report can be found posted on the House Street Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) website at www.michigan.gov/belmont, under the heading “Recent Accomplishments”.

A paper copy of the report is also available for review at the City of Rockford, Algoma Township, and Plainfield Charter Township offices.

Written comments can be emailed to EGLE-RRD-Housestreet@michigan.gov, or mailed prior to April 17, 2021, to Karen Vorce, Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, Remediation and Redevelopment Division, 350 Ottawa Avenue, NW, Unit 10, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503-2341.

Pre-registration is not required to attend the meeting. Individuals interested in participating can click on the registration link (https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PEFCnFmMS7i3ZHtUPKhz5g) at the start of the event (6:00 p.m.).

Individuals needing language assistance or accommodations for effective participation for the online meeting should contact Karen Vorce (RRD Project Manager) at 616-439-8008, to request language, mobility, visual, hearing, translation, and/or other assistance.

The Wolverine CAG (Community Advisory Group) was formed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the summer of 2019 to act as a communication link between Wolverine Worldwide, the EPA, Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), and the community. The CAG is made up of volunteer community members with backgrounds in chemistry, law, engineering, and other disciplines; municipal representatives; and individuals who have been directly impacted by the contamination. The CAG’s mission is to ensure that the response activities at the Wolverine Worldwide sites protect and sustainably restore the environment for human health, fish, wildlife, and recreation through community participation, and that important community concerns are understood and considered during any related investigation and response action.

On February 11^th, an article was published in the Rockford Squire in which Wolverine Worldwide described their preferred option for long-term remediation of the House Street Dump site. The option presented would create a park, with trails and a parking lot that would be open to the public. The plan would rely on a process called phytoremediation where trees are used to draw up PFAS from the waste through the roots and store it.

Wolverine presented two options for the clean-up of the House Street dump site to the CAG on January 28^th. We have begun reviewing this information in order to prepare a full response to the feasibility study. The complete feasibility study was submitted to EGLE on February 19^th as required by the court settlement agreement, and it explains the remediation options in more detail. As soon as EGLE makes it available for public comment, the CAG will review it thoroughly and respond with any concerns, questions, and recommendations. EGLE will host an online review of the feasibility plan for public comment in late March, and the CAG will provide details about the public comment period as soon as that is available.

To stay on top of this and other related remediation work, visit our website @ www.wolverinecag.org and EGLE’s website at www.michigan.gov/pfasresponse. You may also join our monthly CAG meetings on the third Thursday of the month at 6:00 p.m. Currently, these meetings are virtual to comply with safety concerns related to COVID-19. Meeting information can also be found on our website, or you can email us @ info@wolverinecag.org