The Kalamazoo River natural resource trusteesGovernment officials acting on behalf of the public when there is injury to, destruction of, loss of, or threat to natural resources. are asking for comment on a draft plan outlining potential projects to restore natural resources along the Kalamazoo River in Michigan. The resources were injured by PCBspolychlorinated biphenyls; a class of chemicals previously used in manufacturing that remain in the environment for many decades, accumulate in living creatures, and pose health hazards to humans, wildlife, and fish. released from paper mills from late 1950s through the early 1970s. The restoration plan and programmatic environmental impact statement analyzes a suite of actions we believe will most effectively compensate the public for losses caused by the PCBs.

This plan identifies potential project types the trustees are interested in implementing and two specific proposed restoration projects: the removal of the Otsego City Dam and the removal of the Otsego Dam. It provides guidance for future restoration activities to be carried out by the trustees, or conducted under their oversight. A 30 day public comment period regarding the restoration plan ended in October 2015.