Creek cleanup discussed
Creek cleanup discussed
By GARRETT NEESE, Houghton Mining Gazette
HOUGHTON — The citizen advisory committee charged with developing a management plan for the Huron Creek Watershed met Tuesday night to discuss possible reforms in the section of the creek where Houghton will be building a leachate collection system.
The three-mile creek stretches from Green Acres Road in Portage Township to the Houghton Waterfront Park. The Huron and Isle Royale mines operated along the creek for nearly a century, while land along the creek was also used as a landfill during the 1960s and 1970s.
Leachate is the result of water percolating through other material. When percolating through landfills, it can pick up high concentrations of surrounding materials, including metals.
The creek section discussed Tuesday runs less than a quarter-mile, going from Sharon Avenue to the control structure at Frog Pool behind the former Ming Garden building.
The most accessible portion of that, near Sharon Avenue, is in the worst shape, with “yellow boy” deposits of iron and manganese along the shores, and debris such as an upturned shopping cart.
In contrast, sections farther upstream are more isolated, with fewer indications of activity.
Previous page: Plea entered in assault case
Next page: Grant will benefit downtown Ishpeming