The Torch Lake Public Action Council publishes its latest newsletter detailing updates on the Torch Lake Drum pilot study. In 2024 the EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office completed field work for the drum removal pilot study in the Hubbell Processing Area of Torch Lake in the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Crews removed 1100 cubic yards of contaminated sediment and more than 100 drums from three sections of the processing area. Contractors also installed turbidity curtains around two work sites in the area, creating a bubble curtain system that works to prevent further sediment movement outward from the Hubbell Processing Area.
The collaborative effort by the Great Lakes National Program Office, Honeywell, in coordination with the Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy, aims to clean up one of the 13 Torch Lake super-fund sites left by the mining industry. The project expects to continue work in 2025 with final designs and permit paperwork underway. The collaborative group plans to begin cleaning up at the Lake Linden Recreation Area in 2026.
Those interested in learning more about the Hubbell Processing Area and the Torch Lake Drum study can find more information here.
The Torch Lake Public Action Council meets at 12 pm on the third Tuesday of the month at the Franklin Township office. The council encourages the community to attend public meetings to learn more about progress with the project.
