EPA Takes Public Comment On 10 Mile Drain Clean Up Plan

ST. CLAIR SHORES (WWJ) - The Environmental Protection Agency is ready to share details of a temporary plan to contain and clean up PCB contamination at the 10 Mile drain in St. Clair Shores.

Residents will hear from the federal environmental regulators at a Tuesday night meeting on the proposed plan to periodically remove PCB oil and contaminated sediment that accumulates in the drain system.

The EPA's Colleen Moynihan is a project manager for the drain site.

"At this point in the investigation, we have really honed in on the drain itself, 15 feet under the ground, at the intersection of Bon Brae and Harper. We have found that that contains probably some of the highest levels of contamination and it sort of decreased from there," Moynihan said.

Last September, the 10 Mile drain site was placed on the National Priorities List -  a roster of the nation's  hazardous waste sites eligible for investigation and cleanup under EPA's "Superfund" program.

"We are really proposing this while the EPA continues through our remedial investigation, finding and determining the nature and extent of contamination. So, we'll ultimately come up with the final cleanup plan, but that is in the future. Right now, we're just dealing with those interim measures," Moynihan said.

The public meeting starts at 7 pm Tuesday at the Blossom Heath Inn in St. Clair Shores. The public is encouraged to attend and give their comments about the potential clean up plan.

A fact sheet explaining the proposed cleanup plan, site documents and information about submitting comments can be found by clicking here.