by guest writer Nate Mathewson
What it means to be environmentally conscious is sometimes nebulous. Whether aspiring for activism or looking to be well-informed, it can be difficult to find a starting point. One option is to start locally, becoming more knowledgeable about the immediate area you find yourself.
While a simple Google search would yield some general information about any large-scale environmental events that may have occurred over the years, there are tools available to the public that allow for a closer look into the environmental health of your local area.
Biology professor Dr. Doug Workman knows all about these tools. He teaches an environmental regulations class that explores these informative tools as well as running his environmental consulting firm.
“For me, environmental awareness is knowing how to answer the questions that you might have,” Dr. Workman said, “What are all the resources that are available to me that I can use to understand my environment and maybe be more protective of my environment? There are all kinds of online resources for that.”
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, or EGLE, is a state agency that focuses on environmental issues at the state level. In addition to the several functions it performs as a department, EGLE provides the public with access to high-quality informative environmental maps and data.
These maps aim to make what would otherwise be difficult-to-understand data more digestible for the general public. As such, interactive maps are a helpful tool for someone looking to improve their environmental awareness. The maps cover instances of per- and polyfluorinated substance contamination, wellhead protection zones, areas designated for governmental cleanup assistance and E. coli outbreaks.
Provided in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency and linked on EGLE’s website is the My Waterway Portal. This service allows users to access basic information about the various bodies of water within their watershed. It also shows permitted dischargers and reports for more specific waterway information like swimming conditions, eating fish, aquatic life surveys and restoration plans and protection efforts.
When using this tool, it is evident that almost every waterway in the Muskegon River Watershed bears the red designation of “impaired” by polychlorinated biphenyls. Workman explained that PCB contamination in our waterways is a sign of our “toxic chemical legacy,” a chemical we used to use for cooling transformers without realizing its potential environmental impact.
Another tool provided by EGLE is the environmental mapper.
“It lets you know what kind of contamination events have been recorded by the state of Michigan near [your] home. And you can learn more about them with respect to what kind of contamination occurred, and what kind of actions had been done for cleanup, if any,” Workman said.
Many sites around Big Rapids have experienced, or still experience, contamination. One example is the large, empty lot that can be seen while crossing the bridge to Swede Hill Park on Baldwin Street. This site was previously used for manufacturing. Users can find a PDF of the paperwork concerning the exact details of the site through the environmental mapper tool.
The document states that the soil was contaminated by both arsenic and PCBs. The spread of these chemicals into the nearby Muskegon River was halted by cleanup efforts, but the land itself is still placed under a restrictive covenant.
“[A restrictive covenant] is protective of that contamination plume so that further development does not disturb it and cause it to move.” Workman said. The covenant bars further development on the site unless the developer were to invest in a cleanup plan that was satisfactory to the State.
There is a plethora of information available to the general public on EGLE’s website about our local ecology. The tools visited here are just two of the dozens of resources available through EGLE and the EPA. There is more to the story of Big Rapids’ environmental health which can be found through governmental resources like these.