MARQUETTE -- Monday night, Marquette City Commissioners heard multiple proposals on how to clean up contaminated groundwater at the former Cliffs-Dow site.
Last July while excavating the site along Lake Superior, workers found hazardous wood tar. The tar was removed, along with more than 800 yards of soil, but the groundwater remains contaminated. Special environmental council gave a presentation that highlighted some options available to the city.
"Another alternative would be air sparging where air is bubbled into the groundwater and then vacuums are put through wells on the surface, trying to pull contaminants out that are picked up by air. There's various pluses and minuses associated with that, but all of these remedial alternatives, you'll see, have a pretty hefty price tag with them," said attorney Richard Baron.
The commission also heard proposals that included continued excavation, water pumping and treating, and even walling off the site. This is in addition to continued groundwater monitoring.
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