The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced today that four natural resource restoration projects totaling $332,507 will be funded in Muskegon County as part of a settlement between the State of Michigan and Bofors-Nobel Lomac concerning the Bofors-Nobel Superfund Site. The Site contained a chemical manufacturing company, a landfill, and sludge lagoons, and past waste disposal practices resulted in releases of hazardous substances on the property which have also affected the groundwater and Black Creek.

The projects were selected from proposals submitted in response to a request by the DEQ last fall. The projects to be funded are:

- U.S. Forest Service - $25,000 for improvements to Cedar Creek for fish habitat and erosion controls,

 - Mona Lake Watershed Council - $41,250 for enhancements to Cranberry Creek for wetland restoration and $37,049 for wetland conservation near Black Creek, and

 - The Land Conservancy of West Michigan - $229,208 for conservation easements for the Crockery Creek stream corridor.

Ongoing response activities at the Bofors-Nobel Superfund Site are being conducted by Lomac LLC under the lead authority of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, with the oversight of the DEQ. Additional information on cleanup activities at the site can be found on the EPA’s web page.

 Editor's note: DEQ news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

 "Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"