Public Comment Period on Draft Restoration Plan and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Restoration Resulting from the Kalamazoo River Natural Resource Damage Assessment

The Kalamazoo River natural resource trustees are seeking comment on a draft plan outlining potential projects to restore natural resources along the Kalamazoo River in Michigan. The Draft Restoration Plan and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement analyzes a suite of actions believed to most effectively compensate the public for losses caused by the PCBs released from paper mills from late 1950s through the early 1970s. 

The plan identifies potential project types the trustees are interested in implementing and two specific proposed restoration projects: the removal of the Otsego City Dam and the removal of the Otsego Dam. It provides guidance for future restoration activities to be carried out by the trustees or conducted under their oversight.

The Draft Restoration Plan and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Kalamazoo River is available for public comment until October 29, 2015. Written comments for the Trustees to consider should be sent to:

Comments may also be submitted electronically to kzoorivernrda@fws.gov, with “Kalamazoo River RP/PEIS” in the subject line.

This public comment period is described in a Federal Register Notice as well as in the Draft RP/PEIS

For further information, please contact: Lisa Williams, USFWS,  by phone at (517) 351–8324, or Julie Sims, NOAA Restoration Center, by phone at (734) 741–2385.

Further Reading:

Kalamazoo River

Federal Register Notice