At left: The Trowbridge Dam Boat Launch is closed as the dredging of the Kalamazoo River upstream of the spillway begins. It will not be until 2027 that this section of river will be open for recreation.
By Gari Voss
Activity has increased along 26th St. at the site of the Trowbridge Dam. The boat launch on the Kalamazoo River at the Dam is now officially closed until 2027. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that cleanup of contaminated sediment and riverbank soil along a 2.4-mile section river upstream of the Trowbridge Dam has begun. Anyone on the Kalamazoo River should exit at the Pine Creek or the Fox Mountain/Bittersweet public access sites.
The removal of a dam is not an easy process. This location is part of the Allied Paper Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund site. Thus, when the remainder of a dam still holds back sediment that is laden with PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls), the process to remove the dam takes even longer.
Paper companies upriver created products that contained high levels of PCBs. Whether this was realized at the time or not, those companies are now responsible for cleaning up their mess. The cleanup of sediment coincides with the removal of small hydroelectric dams along the Kalamazoo River.
Following the history of removals, the Otsego Township Dam, the Otsego City Dam, Plainwell Dam #1 and Plainwell Dam #2 have been removed. But, before removal, the sediment held back along the riverbanks and bottom must be dredged, dried and hauled. Once the areas upriver of a dam are cleaned, the remaining structure of the dam could be removed, a temporary structure erected, and the land along the banks restored to its natural state. A good example is the Otsego Township Dam along Jefferson Road west of the city.
It has been four years since the Trowbridge Dam work was begun, and even longer since the original hydro plant was removed. Several summers ago, excitement rose when citizens were asked what they would like to see happen to the acreage along the southside of the Kalamazoo River where the Trowbridge Dam was being removed. Ideas were recorded and basic plans were shared.
An area was created where small boats, canoes and kayaks could be launched. Discussions were had on where removed sediment could be dried before being hauled away. Then the work seemed to stop.
In the summer of 2023, a road was built along the north side of the river so vehicles could access the river from that direction. Then the machines became silent again.
When the summer of 2024 arrived, vehicles and machines of many shapes and sizes began to appear. The small parking area was quadrupled in size, contractor trailers were set in place, and life along 26th St. and 108th Ave. changed.
A plan with new techniques was put into place which required the use of acreage along the west side of 26th St. to be cleared as the “bagging area”. (For those speculating that this would be a housing development, that story can be put to rest.)
What will happen is that the sediment pulled from the river will be suctioned through tubes from the river to the Bagging Area. The bags, or geotubes, will be filled then left to dry. Once dry, they will be crushed down, loaded up, and hauled away.
If that sounds simplified, it is. This operation has included special permits and scrutiny from the US EPA, the Michigan DNR, EGLE, and almost every other alphabet soup letter agency imaginable. Then there are project partners.
GEI Consultants who “provides Geotechnical, Environmental, Water Resources, Civil Design, and Construction Services throughout the project delivery life cycle from conceptual planning to permitting, design, engineering, and construction management” has been involved since step one.
Their main office overseeing this project is in Atlanta, but there are offices in Allendale and Lansing. The local office is off 12th St. in Plainwell where Joe’s used to be. The EPA also has a small office in the building.
Another well-known player is Brennan that won the bid through GEI working with NCR, the paper company. The most familiar name is Milbocker & Sons who did the original stabilization at the Trowbridge site.
To dispel another myth, all of the expenses for this project are billed back to the paper company. Paul Ruesch explained, “I have expenses that we bill back to NCR at the end of the year. The other companies do the same, so none of the cost is government dollars.”
The main command center on site facilitates constant communication with daily meetings. Ruesch explained that everyone is wired together so there is instant communication even when on the river.
The machinery includes a swamp buggy with wide tracks that are really floats. The dredge will also be on floats. Where the removal of sediment at the other dams required cranes operated from the bank, the amphibious machinery will allow the action to take place in the water.
The flow dynamics on the river have left areas of sediment that might be 1 foot, 3 foot or even a section that has a 12 foot depth. Over the last several years, the mapping of the sediment in the river was carefully calculated. The “player” who controls the suction knows exactly where they are on the map and how deep to go.
“This is like a video game,” marveled Ruesch. “They know exactly what depth needs to be dredged and sucked out and use a joystick to make adjustments.”
As the sediment is dredged up, it is liquified then pumped through pipes to the staging across 26th Street. The dredging should be completed in one construction season instead of two.
Ruesch shared, “The Brennan crew is out of Wisconsin and did all the dredging on the Fox River with this kind of hydraulic work. But it is good to have the Milbocker crew who did the original work in the area. The Kalamazoo River acts differently than the Fox, so the Milbocker crew can guide the Brennan crew through any dangerous areas.”
When they finish, there will be a temporary water structure placed. The area will be similar to the Otsego Township site with a 2% grade and some rapids. There will be a section that can be navigated by kayakers, but probably not by outboard motorboats.
For Ruesch, who has been involved in the project for four years, this is a “thrill” that it is actually happening. But with the improvement in methods of going to the floating dredge machines, the vacuum removal of the sediment, and the geotubes for drying the sediment before hauling, this is exciting.
For those interested in learning more about the dredging of the river and returning the area back to its original environment, contact Paul Ruesch (EPA) at ruesch.paul@epa.gov or Mark Mills (DNR) millsm@michigan.gov.
