White Lake is a 2,570 acre Area of Concern located in Muskegon County by the towns of Montague and Whitehall. Due to chemical contamination of the groundwater by Hooker Chemical Company(Now Occidental Chemical Site), the lake and the White River watershed have been an [Areas of Concern|Area of Concern]] since 1985. White Lake is also home to 'Tannery Bay', a site where Whitehall Leather began dumping cow hides in 1866 and heavy metals beginning in 1944.
Part 1 of Tanya Cabala's presentation at 'Getting the Message Out on Great Lakes Restoration', a weekend conference in Whitehall, Mich on Nov. 8, 2007. The conference focused on communication aspects of environmental activism, and Mrs. Cabala was able to elaborate on the difficulties of gaining support from local communities.
Timeline of recent White Lake events
2005: Delisting targets and criteria were developed for five of the eight BUIs.
2005: The Muskegon Conservation District completed a Lake Shoreline Habitat Assessment that also evaluates areas for littoral/riparian zone contiguity.
2005: Koch Chemical agrees to install new well for City of Whitehall due to groundwater contamination overlapping with the city’s “groundwater protection area.”
2005: PAC volunteers receive training to implement Marsh Monitoring program
2005: Dupont continuing to monitor groundwater plume.
2004-05: White Lake Nutrient Study started. Expected to be completed in 2007.
2003-04: Formation of the White River Watershed Partnership.
2003: Oxy Chem / Hooker Chemical dredges 12,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from the lake near their outlet discharge pipe.
2002: Michigan citizens (via MDEQ) and Genesco, Inc. paid for removal of 85,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from Tannery Bay.
2001: It was announced that Genesco Inc., parent company of now-defunct Whitehall Leather Co., and the State of Michigan would split the $6.7 million cost of removing 73,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from White Lake's "Tannery Bay". Whitehall Leather and its forerunners began dumping cow hides into Tannery Bay beginning in 1866 and discharging heavy metals into the lake in 1944. DEQ reports show the sediments contained chromium levels 200 times higher than normal, 100 times more arsenic than is normal as well as leather scraps, cow hair and a substance described as "purple mayonnaise".
Most bodies of water have certain uses to any community, including fishing, recreation, boating and natural beauty. Beneficial Use Impairments are changes in the physical or chemical makeup of a body of water that negatively effect these benefits.
