LOCATION: The property is located in the southwest ¼ of the southeast ¼ of Section 13, Township 2 North, Range 5 West, in the City of Charlotte.

SITE HISTORY: The historical records on this property indicate that the site was initially developed as an agricultural field prior to 1938. Between 1938 and 1950, usage of a seepage pond constructed on the property began. In 1967, a four-cell lagoon system was developed on the property for use by A.E. Hoover, Inc. for disposal of anodizing waste from their aluminum manufacturing operations. The lagoon system was reportedly used for three to five years. Since usage of the lagoon system was discontinued, the lagoons have been allowed to become dry and overgrown with vegetation.

CLEANUP ACTIONS: A total of $1,033,246 of state funds were used for actions at this site.  After project evaluation and preparation of bid specifications the state's consultants conducted an investigation of the site, solidified/stabilized the sludge material, and restored the site for future redevelopment. All site work has been completed.

REDEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL: The city-owned site is located in an area that is zoned industrial and is recommended by the City of Charlotte for redevelopment into a municipal recreational park. A BEA was completed by the city in 1998.

Current Assessed Value: $0.00

Zoning: Industrial     Master Plan Use: Unknown.

Local Incentives: Possible Brownfield Authority redevelopment incentives.

Local Contact Information: Dennis Stark, City Manager, 517-543-2750 or see the city's website at www.charlotte-mi.com

LOCATION: Johnson Iron Industries was located at 615 W. Shepard Street, Charlotte, MI, just west of the railroad tracks.

SITE HISTORY: Between 1947 and 1986, the Johnson Iron Industries Company manufactured gray iron counterweights and castings. The property was tax-reverted to the State of Michigan in 1992. Since 1986, parts of the facility have sublet by Johnson Iron to various tenants for warehouse storage, office space, and repair facilities. At the time of closure, the facility encompassed 14 acres.

Onsite hazardous waste disposal included foundry sand and slag, deposited in three piles; sludge from air pollution control operations, deposited in a sludge basin from which it was periodically removed and land-farmed; and miscellaneous hydraulic fluids and solvents. There are also two ponds formed out of quarry pits that received effluent from the sludge basin.

In 1986 and 1987, samples of the sludge were found to contain levels of lead and cadmium categorized as toxic under the federal Resource conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and levels of zinc categorized as toxic under Michigan's Hazardous Waste Management Act (Act 64). On June 13, 1988, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Johnson Iron Industries signed a consent order that levied a fine against the company for violations of RCRA and ordered the company to submit a clean closure plan. The company submitted clean closure plans to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) in August 1988 and June 1989, but the MDNR did not find either plan acceptable. The proposed plans, which included capping the sludge and slag piles and installing monitoring wells did not meet RCRA and Act 64 requirements. A fence was installed around the waste disposal areas of the site in 1990.

On February 22, 1989, the MDNR carried out a Screening Site Inspection (SSI) of the Johnson Iron Industries site, including sampling of soil, sludge, slag, surface water, and sediment. The MDNR carried out an Expanded Site Inspection (ESI) of the site on November 3, 1992, including further sampling of the soil, sludge, slag, surface water and sediment, plus groundwater sampling. EPA personnel sampled drums on the property in December 1993 to identify the contents and to determine whether an emergency removal was warranted. From October 1994 through April 1995, the EPA carried out a removal action on the site, removing drummed wastes for off-site disposal and covering the main sludge area with topsoil, seeded with grass. In the summer and fall of 1995, the EPA investigated the site. In May 1997, the EPA proposed a remediation that included off-site disposal of sludge and sediments, grading soils, sand, and slag, and capping the remaining materials in place. This remediation was not implemented because of lack of funding. In 1999, the City of Charlotte proposed the Johnson Iron site as a Clean Michigan Initiative site.

CLEANUP ACTIONS: A total of $1,094,021 in state monies were spent conducting an investigation of the site to fill in data gaps, demolishing the existing manufacturing building, removing drums of waste and PCBs, removing direct contact hazards, and restoring the site for future redevelopment.  This work is now complete. 

REDEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL: A new water tower was built on part of the site, and a parking area for the new ski hill is on the eastern end of the property.  The remainder of the city-owned site is located in an area that is zoned industrial and is recommended by the City of Charlotte for redevelopment.

Current Assessed Value: $0.00

Zoning: Industrial     Master Plan Use: Unknown.

Local Incentives: Possible Brownfield Authority redevelopment incentives.

Local Contact Information: Dennis Stark, City Manager, 517-543-2750 or see the city's website at www.charlotte-mi.com