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Calumet and Hecla (C & H) Power Plant
Site Information
- Torch Lake Township, MI (Houghton County)
- EPA ID# MIN000510600
- Superfund Site Information
- Maps (PDF) (2pg, 1.49MB)
Contact Information
Community Involvement Coordinator
Heriberto León (leon.heriberto@epa.gov)
312-886-6163 or 800-621-8431, ext. 66163
Community Involvement Coordinator
Dave Novak (novak.dave@epa.gov)
312-886-7478 or 800-621-8431, ext. 67478
U.S. EPA On-Scene Coordinator
Andrew Maguire
(maguire.andrew@epa.gov)
312-353-8782
U.S. EPA On-Scene Coordinator Ralph Dollhopf
(dollhopf.ralph@epa.gov)
231-301-0559
Repositories
(where to view written records)
Lake Linden-Hubbell Public School Library 601 Calumet Street Lake Linden, MI 49945 AND Portage Lake District Library, 58 Huron Street
Houghton, MI 49931-2166
Background
The Calumet and Hecla (C & H) Power Plant site is located south of the Village of Lake Linden, along Highway M-26 in Torch Lake Township, Houghton County, Michigan. It is approximately 14 acres and contains the former C & H Power Plant building, which was part of an industrial complex that processed copper ore through traditional stamping process and produced waste sands and “tailings.” The site also has foundations, floors, remnants of former buildings, tunnels, pipes and other subsurface conduits.
The C & H Power Plant produced steam and electricity in support of the surrounding industrial complex that operated for over a century producing millions of tons of copper until ceasing operations in 1968. The site is bordered to the east by Torch Lake; to the north by the Houghton County Historical Museum, a public park, and a marina—historically part of the industrial complex; to the south by residential properties; and to the west by Highway M-26.
The potential contaminants of concern (COCs) evaluated as part of the site assessment activities include the following:
- In the soil—metals such as aluminum, chromium, copper, iron, lead and other inorganic contaminants
- In the soil and water—Polychhlorinated bipheyls (PCBs) possibly from oil and lubricants
- In the soil, water, and air—Asbestos as bulk material historically used as an insulator and fire retardant
The C & H Power Plant site is contiguous with the Torch Lake Superfund site, which was established to address deposits of mine waste or “tailings.” However, the C & H Power Plant site is not nor has ever been part of the Torch Lake Superfund site.
Site Updates | Latest Update || Fact Sheets || Technical Documents
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Site Updates
February 2013
During the summer and fall of 2012 AMEC--Honeywell's contractor--conducted a number of activities to prepare the site for cleanup. They included among others: soil sampling, utility clearance, setting up a mobile weather station, setting up fencing and establishment of a contaminant reduction zone and support zone for the operations at the site. Perimeter air monitors were also set up to conduct real-time air monitoring and sampling on a daily basis at the site. These preparation and assessment activities have been necessary to develop and carry out future cleanup plans.
Contractors also began the removal of asbestos from the former C & H Power Plant building at the site, starting with the ground level floor first, scraping the material off and containing it in plastic bags. An approximate total of 5,700 tons of soil have been hauled off-site for disposal.
Activities for spring 2013 are expected to include additional sampling, removal and disposal of soils, additional asbestos removal, the razing of the building and covering of floor openings.
June 2012
Activities over the next several months will prepare the site for cleanup and subsequent reuse. The soil will be assessed for metals and asbestos beginning in late June and continuing into July 2012. Contaminants at unacceptable levels will be removed later in the summer. Removed soil will be replaced with clean material so that it is backfilled and restored to grade level. One large building on the site will be demolished and removed. This may include decontamination, removal of asbestos, elimination of contaminated water in the basement of the building, and removal of scrap materials and waste. Once completed, the basement of the building will be backfilled with clean soil.
Fact Sheets
- EPA Begins Cleanup at Former Copper Facility (PDF) (2pp, 1MB) July 2012
Technical Documents
- Community Involvement Plan (PDF) (21pp,258KB) May 2013
- Pollution Report (Polrep) #5 (PDF) (6pp, 393KB) November 2012
- Pollution Report (Polrep) #4 (PDF) (6pp, 364KB) Ocotber 2012
- Pollution Report (Polrep) #3 (PDF) (5pp, 323KB) October 2012
- Pollution Report (Polrep) #2 (PDF) (5pp, 225KB) August 2012
- Pollution Report (Polrep) #1 (PDF) (5pp, 277KB) November 2011
- Enforcement Action Memo (PDF) (30pp, 2.52MB) June 2012