# MICHIGAN PEAT AND BAY-HOUSTON TOWING CO.
> **Administrative - Formal** · FY1998 · — · —
## Case
- **Activity ID:** `30876`
- **Case Number:** 05-1998-0255
- **Type:** Administrative - Formal
- **Lead:** EPA
- **Outcome:** —
- **Penalty assessed:** —
- **Cost recovery:** —
- **Compliance action $:** $600K
- **Multimedia (multi-env):** Y
## Defendants
- MICHIGAN PEAT AND BAY-HOUSTON TOWING CO. (settlement)
## Summary

FACILITY HARVESTS PEAT FROM A PEAT BOG.  ORDER REQUIRES      FACILITY TO DO PARTIAL RESTORATION IN NEAR TERM AND SHOP     DISCHARGES TO WETLANDS AND TO BLACK RIVER DRAIN (A CHANNEL   THAT GOES TO A TRIBUTARY OF LAKE HURON).  FACILITY IS THEN   GIVEN CHOICE OF EITHER APPLYING TO ARMY COE FOR AN AFTER THE FACT CWA SECTION 404 PERMIT, OR SUBMITTING A PLAN FOR        COMPLETE SITE RESTORATION TO EPA.                            THE VOLUME OF POLLUTANTS BEING DISCHARGED -- AND WHICH THIS  ORDER REQUIRES CEASE -- ARE HARD TO QUANTIFY AS GRAVITY AS A GRAVITY DRAIN SYSTEM OF DITCHES ARE DRAINING THE PEAT BOG.   THERE ARE NO MONITORING CONTROLS ON THOSE DISCHARGES.  HOW-  EVER, WATER SAMPLES TAKEN BY EPA DURING AUGUST 1997 SHOWED   DETECTABLE BUT LOW LEVERLS OF ARSENIC, LEAD, TOAL SUSPENDED  SOLIDS, TOTAL PHOSPHORUS, MERCURY, SULFIDE, BARIUM, MAGNE-   SIUM, CALCIUM, IRON, AND ALUMINUM.  THE DISCHARGES TO WET-   LANDS ARE ALSO HARD TO QUANTIFY, BUT RESTORATION WILL REQUIR E REMOVAL OR DISTRIBUTION OF LARGE VOLUMES OF PEAT, CLAY,    SOILS, AND VEGETATION THAT HAVE BEEN PLACE IN THE WETLANDS.

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*Source: [EPA ECHO](https://echo.epa.gov/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*