Restoring White Lake: A Brief History

An industrial manufacturing era, along with increased residential development and municipal discharges, took an ecological toll on White Lake, beginning in the 1950s. In 1985, due to White Lake’s history of pollution, state and federal environmental authorities placed White Lake on a list of 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern—waterways where pollution and other problems were serious enough to endanger aquatic life.

About Great Lakes Areas of Concern

The 1972 U.S. - Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (updated in 1978 and 1987), called for the two federal governments to work with the states and provinces to develop Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) for each of the Areas of Concern. The agreement also called for public involvement in the development of the plans. Each RAP would define the problems in the Area of Concern, describe how they would be resolved, and provide a timetable, including a plan for documenting that the problems had been resolved.

The state of Michigan made quick progress at addressing its 14 Areas of Concern and a number of Remedial Action Plans, including White Lake’s, were completed in 1987. Some White Lake area residents, however, felt that more opportunities for public input were needed, the RAP needed a more comprehensive approach, and that the cleanup of White Lake should be a higher priority.

Formation of the White Lake Public Advisory Council

Assisted by Great Lakes United and the Lake Michigan Federation (now the Alliance for the Great Lakes), a group of local citizens pushed to restart the cleanup process for White Lake. In 1992, the Federation’s Michigan office, located in Muskegon, applied for and received grant funds from the Michigan Statewide Public Advisory Council to work with local residents to establish public advisory groups for both White and Muskegon Lakes. The newly formed White Lake Public Advisory Council (PAC) provided a foundation for community consensus, action, and solutions.

Identifying Impairments

The existence of the PAC spurred the state to write a new Remedial Action Plan in 1995, completed with extensive involvement from the local community. The International Joint Commission, a binational body charged with overseeing progress of the U.S. and Canada at carrying out the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, had provided a framework of 14 problems, termed, Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs), that could be identified in Great Lakes Areas of Concern. The PAC formally identified eight impairments they believed to be present in the White Lake Area of Concern:

• Restrictions on Fish and Wildlife Consumption
  • This BUI was originally listed for White Lake due to elevated levels of several chemicals found in carp.
• Degradation of Benthos
  • This BUI was listed as a problem for White Lake because of too low oxygen levels in the water in some areas of the lake and heavy metals and organic chemical pollution in the sediment. This caused a significant reduction in the number, density, and diversity of aquatic organisms, the benthic community, living on the bottom of the lake. Only aquatic organisms tolerant of pollution were able to survive.
• Restrictions on Dredging Activities
  • This BUI was originally listed for White Lake because of the presence of lakewide contaminated sediments and the likelihood that there would be special requirements for disposing of dredged sediments. The state of Michigan subsequently narrowed the definition of the Restrictions on Dredging Activities BUI for Michigan Areas of Concern to restrictions on the disposal of sediments dredged from navigational channels.
• Eutrophication or Excessive Growth of Algae
  • The natural aging of White Lake was accelerated by excessive aquatic plant growth due to discharges from municipal sewage treatment facilities and the former Whitehall Leather Company tannery that caused high nitrogen and phosphorus levels.
• Restrictions on Drinking Water Consumption or Taste and Odor Problems
  • Groundwater in the White Lake Area of Concern has been contaminated from pollution at a number of former industrial sites.
• Degradation of Aesthetics
  • White Lake was considered to have degraded aesthetics because of scum, some originating from the former Whitehall Leather Company tannery, and hides known to have been dumped into the lake.
• Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat/Degraded Fish and Wildlife Populations
  • These two BUIs were identified in White Lake due to residential and industrial development of the shoreline, wetland filling, and historical fill placed within the lake. This caused a loss of fish and wildlife habitat, subsequently causing damage to fish and wildlife populations.

Several important new priorities came out of this effort, in addition to issues already identified in the 1987 RAP

1. An urgent focus on cleanup of pollution created by the former Whitehall Leather (Genesco) tannery
2. Awareness of fish and wildlife habitat loss and degraded populations around White Lake.

Addressing fish and wildlife habitat problems began immediately with a study of aquatic plants in 1995, an evaluation of the quality and types of lakeshore habitat in 1996, and a more specific assessment of fish and waterfowl aquatic habitat in 2000. In 2005, information from these studies was used to develop a “blueprint” for restoring shoreline habitat.

Because of the habitat studies done and completion of a process for removing impairments, White Lake was perfectly positioned to compete for a newly available source of federal funds, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). In 2010, the Muskegon Conservation District, in partnership with the White Lake Public Advisory Council, won a $2.1 million award from the GLRI to assist with restoration of shoreline habitat around White Lake. The $2.1 million project restored fish and wildlife habitat at 11 public and private sites around White Lake. Its successful completion aids in the removal of two Beneficial Use Impairments, identified for White Lake – Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat, and Degraded Fish and Wildlife Populations.

Advancing Contaminated Site Cleanups

Attention to the cleanup of contaminated sites in the White Lake area has been a continuous focus. Important milestones include

• 1995: Initiation of an investigation of pollution on the tannery site and lake bottom sediments began.
• 2002: Polluted sediments in Tannery Bay removed.
• 2003: Polluted sediments associated with the former Hooker Chemical discharge removed.
• 2010-2011: Cleanup of polluted soils and groundwater at the tannery site completed.
• 2013: Additional polluted sediments in Tannery Bay removed.

Other important actions include monitoring and advancing cleanups at Muskegon Chemical (Koch Chemical), Hooker Chemical/OxyChem, and E.I. DuPont de Nemours.

For more specific dates and milestones associated with the White Lake Area of Concern, download the Environmental History Project Timeline.

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Coordinating on Watershed Issues

The White Lake Public Advisory Council has worked with the White Lake Association and the Grand Valley State University-Annis Water Resources Institute on a nutrient study of the lake and lower river, and has also coordinated on watershed issues with the White River Watershed Partnership.

Developing a Process for Removing Beneficial Use Impairments

Beginning in 2003, state and federal agencies began to require more specific processes for delisting Areas of Concern; focusing more on removing individual Beneficial Use Impairments.  The PAC, the Muskegon Conservation District and the state worked from 2006 through 2010 to establish processes for deciding when and how White Lake’s Beneficial Use Impairments could be removed.  Grand Valley State University-Annis Water Resources Institute, which has provided assistance through scientific research and assistance, was an essential partner.

Goals set for removing the eight Beneficial Use Impairments have been met, beginning in 2011 and ending in 2014: 

• Restrictions on Dredging Activities (removed in 2011)
• Eutrophication or Undesirable Algae (removed in 2012)
• Degradation of Benthos (removed in 2012)
• Restrictions on Fish and Wildlife Consumption (removed in 2013)
• Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat (removed in 2014)
• Degradation of Fish and Wildlife Populations (removed in 2014)
• Restrictions on Drinking Water Consumption and Taste or Odor Problems (removed in 2014)
• Degradation of Aesthetics (removed in 2014)

Community Involvement

Ensuring meaningful community involvement in restoring White Lake has been a constant priority. The Muskegon Conservation District, on behalf of the PAC, applies for and receives funds to support technical assistance, facilitate PAC meetings, and sponsor regular public forums and educational events.

The PAC E-Newsletter

The White Lake Public Advisory Council publishes a monthly e-newsletter which includes updates on the cleanup of White Lake, information on upcoming meetings and events, the status of the restoration in the Great Lakes, how you can be an environmentally-friendly community member, and more. If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter, use this website to Contact Tanya Cabala. Be sure to:

1. Select "Subscribe to the White Lake PAC E-Newsletter" from the drop-down list
2. And include your name and email address

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Navigating the White Lake PAC Pages

Use this table of contents to navigate the various PAC pages. You will find this at the bottom of each PAC page.

• White Lake PAC Welcome
• About The White Lake Area Of Concern
• Restoring White Lake: A Brief History you are currently on this page
• Current Status
• About The White Lake Public Advisory Council
• A Brief History of the White Lake Area
• What Happens After White Lake is Delisted?
• Planning for White Lake’s Future Beyond Delisting 
• White Lake PAC Events
• Publications & Videos
• Partners

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