Update on Work at Former Tannery and House Street Properties

Update on Cleanup Work at Former Tannery Property

Over the past several months, Wolverine has been conducting cleanup work at the site of its former tannery in Rockford. This work is described in more detail in posts here and here, and includes excavation of several areas of sediments, soils, leather scraps, and hides from the former tannery, the adjacent White Pine Trail, and the banks of the Rogue River.

As of this week, we have excavated 10,600 tons of material from the site, sending 419 truckloads to an approved off-site landfill. The excavation work is currently anticipated to be completed in early March, and complete details are on this progress schedule.

The excavation areas are shown on this map, and the chart below shows the material we anticipate excavating from each area and the current status of our activities. Also, some recent photos of the work are included at the end of this post.

Area Material Status (12/19/19)
S1 Soil Excavation and backfill in progress
S2 Soil Excavation and backfill complete
S3 Soil Excavation and backfill complete
S4 Soil Excavation and backfill complete
S5 Sediment Excavation anticipated to begin in January 2020
S6 Sediment Excavation and backfill complete
S7 Soil Excavation complete; backfill anticipated to begin in January 2020
N1 Soil, Leather Scraps Excavation and backfill in progress
N2 Soil, Leather Scraps, Hides Excavation in progress

Update on Installation of Impermeable Caps at House Street Property

Last week, we began the installation of five impermeable caps at Wolverine’s House Street property, as described in further detail here and shown in the pictures at end of this post. These caps are barriers designed to isolate five areas of waste materials on the property and prevent them from migrating into the underlying groundwater. The work plan for these caps has been approved by the EPA, and we expect installation to be complete by January 10, 2020.

We will continue keeping the community informed through regular updates on this blog, www.WeAreWolverine.com, and through information posted at kiosks and in other locations accessible to the public.  As always, residents with questions are encouraged to contact Wolverine directly at HouseStreet@wwwinc.com or (616) 866-5627.

 

Excavation in Area S1
Excavating in Area S1
Backfilling in Area N1
Backfilling in Area N1
IMG_6517
Installation of one of the caps at the House Street property, showing an HDPE liner
IMG_6528
Installation of one of the caps at the House Street property, showing an HPDE liner with geotextile fabric on top. Next steps are to anchor the cap, then cover and grade it