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Current Status

All eight Beneficial Use Impairments (BUI) identified as problems for the White Lake Area of Concern have been officially removed (listed below in reverse chronological order); thus the White Lake Area of Concern was officially delisted as a Great Lakes Area of Concern.

The White Lake Restoration Celebration was held on October 30, 2014, at the Book Nook & Java Shop in Montague. Read about this historic event and view photos …

Learn more about the planning for White Lake’s Future Beyond Delisting …

View our documentary video, Bringing Back White Lake the Beautiful, for the story of White Lake's delisting as a Great Lakes Area of Concern.

The Beneficial Use Impairments (BUI)

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You may review a summary of each of the BUIs below.

Request to Delist

On May 1, the White Lake Public Advisory Council (PAC) unanimously voted to request the State of Michigan to officially initiate delisting of White Lake as a Great Lakes Area of Concern. A letter* was mailed to that effect on May 20th.  pdf file

* Adobe Reader is required to open and view PDF documents. Depending upon your browser, the downloaded document will either open in a new window or be downloaded directly to your computer. You may then print it and/or save it to your computer.

White Lake Area of Concern Final Delisting Report

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issued its Final Delisting Report in June of 2014. After an official public comment period (June 25 – July 24, 2014), several edits were incorporated into the report and it was finalized in August of 2014.

This Final Delisting Report contains all of the pertinent details related to the delisting of the White Lake Area of Concern, including:

Download the Final Delisting Report* pdf file of the August 2014 report

* Adobe Reader is required to open and view PDF documents. Depending upon your browser, the downloaded document will either open in a new window or be downloaded directly to your computer. You may then print it and/or save it to your computer.

A Review of the White Lake Area’s Eight BUIs

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. The most recent sampling of sediments in the channel (2008) showed that levels of chemicals in the channel are minimal, and special treatment of dredged sediments is not required.

This BUI was officially removed in September 2011.

Eutrophication or Undesirable 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.  Once those discharges were halted, the problem lessened.  Although the lake remains very “productive” or eutrophic, data collected in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2011 by researchers at Grand Valley State University-Annis Water Resources Institute showed the goals set for removal of this BUI were being met.

This BUI was officially removed in April 2012.

(Note:  The PAC, along with other groups and area citizens, remains concerned about nutrients entering White Lake from the river and from the lake bottom that can be stirred up and fertilizer runoff. The PAC will continue to work on this issue with other local organizations through implementation of a watershed management plan for the White River watershed.)

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. Improvements came about due to the diversion of industrial and municipal discharges from the White Lake to the county wastewater system, contaminated site cleanups, and reductions in pollution runoff to the lake. Contaminant sediment removals at Tannery Bay (2002) and at the Hooker Chemical/OxyChem discharge outlet (2003) also removed contaminants affecting lake bottom aquatic organisms. In addition, the PAC determined that cleanup and monitoring plans for contaminated sites that affected the benthic community also needed to be in place. The last in a series of sediment studies conducted in 2011, confirmed that goals were met for a healthy benthic community. It was also confirmed that cleanup plans and monitoring are in place for contaminated sites that have the potential to affect the benthic community.

This BUI was officially removed in June 2012.

Restrictions on Fish and Wildlife Consumption

This BUI was originally listed for White Lake due to elevated levels of several chemicals found in carp. Sediments on the lake bottom were studied and contaminated sediments were removed in Tannery Bay in 2002 and at the Hooker Chemical/OxyChem outfall in 2003. Initial studies of fish populations have indicated that edible fish are no longer affected by contaminated sediments. The studies included fish that are more readily exposed to contaminated sediments, such as carp, and those that are higher on the food chain, such as bass. Results of a final 2011 sampling of fish populations confirmed the trend of reduced contaminant levels.

This BUI was officially removed in February 2013.

(Note: An additional cleanup of contaminated sediments was completed in 2013. Fish consumption advisories relating to mercury in Michigan’s inland lakes and to PCBs in lakes and rivers with an outlet to Lake Michigan still apply to White Lake.)

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. There was some improvement due to the transfer of the tannery discharge from White Lake to the wastewater system (the wastewater system began operating in 1974). The tannery closed in 2000. Improvements also are due to the removal of hides from the lake during the Tannery Bay sediment removal and the land based cleanup. A second sediment cleanup in Tannery Bay (September-October 2013) was the final project needed before the Aesthetics BUI could be removed for White Lake.

This BUI was officially removed in 2014.

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. Fish populations in White Lake were studied in 2009, 2010, and 2011, adding to annual fish-sampling records collected by Grand Valley State University-Annis Water Resources Institute between 2004 and 2006. Results from the most recent sampling show the health of White Lake fish populations and their habitat has exceeded the restoration goal. These BUIs were also addressed by a $2.1 million project by the Muskegon Conservation District (completed in 2013) to restore fish and wildlife habitat at ten public and private sites along White Lake’s shoreline.

This BUI was officially removed in 2014.

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. Because the lake currently meets water quality standards, this BUI can be removed, according to state and federal environmental agency criteria. However, because the two cities rely on groundwater for drinking water and many private residents rely on private wells; the PAC sought several additional steps before removing this BUI as a problem for White Lake. This included confirmation that pollution at a number of contaminated groundwater sites is controlled.

This BUI was officially removed in 2014.

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.

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