VBT Environmental Commission gets details on Feb. 28 workshop

At its regular meeting Feb. 20, the Van Buren Township Environmental Commission received details on the Feb. 28 Lake Workshop that will be held at 6 p.m. in the newly refurbished township board meeting room.
Public Services Director Matthew Best said letters have been sent out to lakeside residents and an advertisement was placed in the Independent to announce the meeting.
Director Best said the doors will open at 5:45 p.m. and an opportunity to visit stations in the Otisville-Sheldon room will be available from 6 to 7 p.m. He said lake contractors, VBT staff members, and State of Michigan Inland Lakes and Streams staff will be at tables for one-on-one meetings with residents. They will not be able to get into specific issues about properties, Best said.
“We are not promoting one contractor over another,” he said.
At 7 p.m., Best will give a short presentation, explaining that if a resident is going to do a lakeshore project, this is what you have to do. He will explain the lake letter from the township, the state permit, and federal permit.
“We will outline what you’re allowed to do with and without a permit, and the basics of a state permit, and when you need to get involved with professional people.”
He said they will also talk about the FERC (Federal Energy Regulation Commission) permit, what Bayshore had to do to get a 99-year lease for a marina and what triggers that.
“We’re not going to get in specifics of the lake draw down because we don’t have the specifics,” Best said, noting he is waiting to hear from the operators of the dam on their permit for a draw down.
“I’ll give them what I have on drawdowns, PFAs,” he said.
“We’ll try not to turn it into a complaint session,” Best said. He said there will be a half hour set aside for questions and answers on permits and what can be done.
Best said if someone asks, “I have a boathouse and are you going to tear it down…?” we won’t go there.
Best said the township just received permanent “Do Not Eat the Fish” signs from the state and there already are signs at the two state launches. The township will put them at French Landing, Van Buren Park, Sandy’s Marina, and other locations.
At the meeting, the township will have staff taking down questions and they will get the answers. The Frequently Asked Questions will be posted on the township website. The presentation will be placed there, too, he said.
“Depending on how long it goes, people can mill around. We want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to be heard,” Best said.
Best also said a table will be set up so volunteers can sign up for the lake draw down and other projects. That will put them on an email list for information on the lake draw down.
Members of the Environmental Commission said they are planning to attend the meeting.
Commission chairman David Brownlee said even if you live in the City of Belleville, you have to apply to VBT to build a boat house, anything with a roof, or a seawall. He said those building on the shore need a lake letter from VBT because the MDEQ requires it.
He also said a permit is required to remove trees embedded in the sand in the lake.
Best said he will answer milfoil questions if they come up. He noted the township did not get the milfoil removal grant they applied for. The township was not selected in the first round and, “We’re probably not going to get it.”
He said the MDNR and DEQ authorize chemicals to kill species-specific plants and they have to be applied legally.
Best said he will touch on the coal tar ordinance, so everyone will be aware of it. He said he got a call earlier that day from Charlotte and spent 20 minutes on the phone discussing the coal tar program.
“It’s a big plus to protect our waters,” Best said.
In other business at the 59-minute meeting, the commission:
• Heard Best say the fire at the Waste Management landfill at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, was apparently from a hot load. He said sometimes people put coals from a fire into the trash and it can smolder and cause a fire at the dump. He said the fire was on the Van Buren side of the dump and Canton Fire Department gave mutual aid. He said he got his information from the Waste Management representative who attended the township board meeting the previous evening;
• Heard Best announce the EPA had just released an Action Plan on PFAs. He said he would send the 63-page plan to commission members by email; and
• Heard Brownlee say he had planned to have Dan Brown from the Huron River Watershed Council come to that evening’s meeting to educate the commission on PFAs and the current status in the Huron River watershed. Brownlee said Brown first was booked for the February meeting, then it was postponed until March, and now he is scheduled to attend the April 17 meeting. “He’s a very busy person,” Brownlee said.