Not much progress has been made with an attempt by a few homeowners on Bellevue Island to clean the silt out of a bay they live on.
A few weeks ago, one of the residents, Cathy Comparoni, told Lake Orion Village Council members the four lakefront owners would pay for dredging the bay. She asked the council for permission to dump the dredged soil in the public parking area in the middle of the island.
According to Comparoni, she couldn’t complete a Michigan Department of Environmental Quality dredging permit until she could inform the state where the soil was going.
Village attorney Gary Dovre told council members on Jan. 27, he had talked to village engineers Hubbell, Roth & Clark and was told soil sampling needed to be done first.
“The DEQ wants to know if there’s any environmental problems,” he added. “If you allow contaminated soil on village property you’re liable under Michigan laws.”
Council members agreed it would be good to know exactly how many cubic feet of soil would be taken out. A small amount would mean only a few soil tests would need to be taken
Comparoni, based on a formula provided by the DEQ, estimated the amount at about 300 cubic yards.
“The village does need to help in some shape or form. You have some responsibility. You filled in the lagoon (currently the parking area in the middle of the island), so now all the draining goes into our bay,” she said.
Dovre recommended Comparoni send in the DEQ application, subject to some type of agreement with the village that takes care of all the village’s concerns and that soil samples be done.
Council members also decided to have HRC look at the possibility of installing catch basins that would control storm water draining in the lake in the Bellevue Island area.
“We should consider this at budget time and for other areas draining into the lake,” councilman Harry Stephen said.
“This issue is one the village will need to address during the implementation of its Phase II Stormwater Management Plan. Whatever solution is proposed here will likely need to be implemented elsewhere in the village,” LO Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel said.

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