Kalamazoo River

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Kalamazoo River [1]

The word, Kalamazoo comes from the Pottawatomie Indian word for boiling or sparkling water. The sparking water describes the image of the ripples in the river.

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About the Area

The Kalamazoo River was created 25,000 years ago and runs 166 miles, and flows directly into Lake Michigan. The river’s watershed covers much of Southwestern Michigan, flowing from the central counties of Jackson and Hillsdale, to the coastal county of Allegan. Its watershed drains eight counties including: Allegan, Barry, Eaton, Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Calhoun, Jackson, Hillsdale, Kent and Ottawa.

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Development Along the River

The Kalamazoo River basin was originally inhabited by the Potowatomi tribe. Use of the Kalamazoo River as a major trade route began in the 1700's with the growth of the fur trade. The first major European settlement on the river, Kalamazoo, was founded in 1829.
Europeans built businesses along the river’s coast. The river provided a good means for transportation, and to power mills.

For years the Kalamazoo River basin was home to several functioning paper mills. These mills allowed thousands of pounds of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), a human carcinogen, to pour into the Kalamazoo River. In 1990 the Allied Paper Inc/Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund site was added to the National Priorities List. This 80 mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River begins at the Morrow Dam ending in Lake Michigan, and includes a three mile stretch of Portage Creek. It is estimated that there are over 350,000 pounds of PCBs in the sediments of the Kalamazoo River. Four companies, Allied Paper, Inc./HM Holdings, Inc., Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Simpson Plainwell Paper Company, and the James River Paper Corporation, are being held liable for the contamination of the Allied Paper Inc/Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund site.

For many years the Kalamazoo River was considered an eyesore and the community gave it little regard. In the 1970’s the declaration of the Clean Water Act created a movement to begincleaning the river. Continued efforts to clean the river has helped to revive it's original beauty and restore it as a source of pride in Southwest Michigan.

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History

Industrial Revolution- Kalamazoo River was used for Municipal waste Removal, Paper Mills and transportation. Many houses and businesses were built along the River’s coastline.
This killed off many of the different varieties of native species, and new species that could tolerate the pollution in the River appeared.

Late 1960’s- Strict Rules were created for handling wastes in the water.

Early 1970’s- Massive amounts of DDTs and PCBs were found in large quantities of fish that came from Saugatuck, which is at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River.

1977- A fish consumption was released for certain varieties of fish that were found in Battle Creek down to Lake Michigan.

superfund [2]

Late 1980s- Small Clean up on the Portage Creek at the Bryant Mill Pond site.

1990- The Kalamazoo River was placed on the National Priorities List as on of the worst toxic waste dumps in the nation, and scheduled for clean up through superfund.
1998- Michigan Department of Environmental Quality published the Kalamazoo River Remedial Action Plan.
2000 The Kalamazoo River Watershed Council (KRWC) received a Technical Assistance Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.

examining sediment trapped upstream in the Kalamazoo River. [3]

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Area of Concern

There are eight miles in the Kalamazoo River that are specified as an Area of Concern. The areas of concern go goes from Morrow Pond down to Lake Michigan.
The main threats and concerns in the river are:
PCB contaminated sediments in the river and landfills in the watershed, nonpoint source pollution control (including Phosphorus control in the watershed) and habitat restoration

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Riverfront Revitalization Plan

A ferry ride along the Kalamazoo River [4]

The riverfront revitalization plan is an innovative plan that combines the usage of the river with the urban areas around it. The plan has been developed by Kalamazoo's Brownfield Redevelopment Authority. Bringing more people to the river will create a greater importance and awareness for the river. The proposed plan is to develop 4.5 cleared acres on the west bank of the Kalamazoo River, just northeast of downtown. This development should help connect existing neighborhoods, downtown and the river. This project is possible because of a two year grant the city of Kalamazoo received called the, Clean Michigan Initiative (CMI) Waterfront Redevelopment Grant in March of 2000. The grant was for $2.8 million and will be matched with $7.6 million from local, federal and private resources.

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In the News

GOP senators decry veto of funding to remove Kalamazoo River dams
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
by JAMES PRICHARD, Associated Press Writer
Summary
The Ostego, Plainwell and Trowbridge dams are three aging dams on the Kalamazoo River that were proposed to be removed. Gov. Jennifer Granholm vetoed the proposal to give $200,000 towards removing the dams in August of 2006, explaining that removing the dams without cleaning up the area would lead to an even greater disaster. The groups in favor of removing the dams argue that there will be more to clean up if there is a flood or if the dams fail because of how old they are. Other arguments for removal of the dam are in hopes of returning the river to a more natural state.

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Areas of Concern

Great Lakes Environmental and Molecular Sciences (GLEAMS) Center http://www.greatlakesdecisionsupport.org

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