CBI has been asked to share the following EPA update:
EPA’s contractor, CDM Smith, spent much of this year investigating the McLouth Steel Corp. site, including installing equipment for sampling and monitoring that will help EPA and EGLE better understand current conditions. Because of the site’s size and complexity, it has been split into three manageable areas known as “Operable Units,” or OUs, which include:
- Source Areas (OU1) — historical areas known to be sources of site contamination.
- Groundwater (OU2) — water underneath and surrounding the site.
- Trenton Channel (OU3) — channel of the Detroit River on the shoreline east of the site.
The work completed since the fall is summarized in the following sections and more detail about these activities is available at CDM SMITH MEMO RE: COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP (CAG) 4TH QUARTER 2025 UPDATE (3 pp, 529.01 KB, About PDF)
Site Source Areas and Groundwater Activities
Since this fall, contractors surveyed monitoring wells to obtain accurate locations and elevations of the wells. Contractors also replaced a monitoring well that had been destroyed during past land-clearing efforts. They installed water level sensors, referred to as transducers, in certain wells along the Trenton Channel to monitor groundwater flow to surface water. This data will help us better understand how groundwater moves at the site.
Trenton Channel Activities
Investigation of the Trenton Channel continued, with the collection of surface sediment and deep sediment across 12 sampling locations. In addition, contractors collected six bulk surface sediment samples to extract and analyze porewater, or the water that fills space between each particle of sediment. Four sediment traps were also deployed to collect suspended sediment over a three-month period and these traps will be retrieved in January.
Upcoming Activities
This winter, CDM Smith will prepare several documents based on this year’s work. These include a sitewide groundwater monitoring plan and Year Two OU1/OU2 Technical Memoranda, including a bedrock aquifer monitoring assessment, for agency review and approval. The Trenton Channel sediment traps mentioned above will also be collected.
In Spring 2026, CDM Smith will start quarterly groundwater sampling as well as a surface water sampling event. A Year Two OU3 Technical Memorandum will also be prepared for agency review and approval.
Additional Information
Please add these websites to your favorites to stay up to date on project work and upcoming meetings:
EPA McLouth Steel Corp. Superfund Site http://www.epa.gov/superfund/mclouth-steel
McLouth Steel Community Advisory Group: https://mclouthsteelcag.org
You can also contact EPA and EGLE staff:
Project Contacts:
EPA: Nilia Moberly Green – EPA Remedial Project Manager, green.nilia@epa.gov, 312-353-6713
EGLE: Megan Cynar – EGLE Superfund Project Manager, cynarm@michigan.gov , 517-256-2681
For general questions:
Kirstin Safakas – EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, safakas.kirstin@epa.gov, 312-919-4621
Diane Russell – EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, russell.diane@epa.gov, 989-395-3493