The MSC Land Co. LLC has completed a $20 million initial cleanup at the southern portion of the former McLouth Steel site in Trenton, Michigan under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversight.
This comes due to a settlement agreement between the EPA, the U.S. Department of Justice, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and MSC, clarifying the company’s cleanup responsibilities and fostering the redevelopment of the former steel mill site, a Nov. 23 EPA press release said.
“The cleanup of this contaminated site is cause for celebration by the residents of Trenton,” EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore said in the release. “The work by EPA and other partners demonstrates what government can accomplish to spur redevelopment and economic growth for the benefit of the community.”
The initial cleanup, completed in November, included the demolition of about 45 structures; the removal of asbestos-containing materials, wastes, contaminated water and sludges; the installation of a fence surrounding the property; the investigation of areas where polychlorinated biphenyls could have been released and an assessment of stormwater management options to stop the uncontrolled flow of the Detroit River into the Trenton Channel, the release said.
“We are absolutely thrilled at the cleanup efforts at the former McLouth Steel site,” Trenton Mayor Steven Rzeppa said in the release. “Most folks never truly thought they would see the day where the buildings would come down and ground cleaned up of the toxic waste on the property.”
According to the EPA, the former McLouth Steel site was added to the EPA’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 2019 after being acquired by MSC the year prior. The site operated from 1950 until 1995, when McClouth filed for bankruptcy. Since then, the property has changed hands several times, some in an effort to revive operations without success.
