Grassy Island, Michigan
| Grassy Island | ||
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| Waters | Detroit River | |
| Geographical location | 42 ° 13 '21 " N , 83 ° 8' 5" W | |
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| surface | 29 hectares | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
Grassy Iceland is a small uninhabited island in Wayne County ( Michigan ) in the United States . The island, measuring 0.29 km², is located in the Detroit River north of the Great Ile and west of Fighting Island , less than two hundred meters from the border between the United States and Canada . The island is part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge . Grassy Island should not be confused with Grass Island , which is on the opposite side of the border in Ontario .
Grassy Iceland was the first time in 1796 by French Landerkundern as Ile Marecageuse (German: marshy island ) mapped . At the time, the island was only 1.5 acres and the Detroit River was marshland for its entire length . During the nineteenth century the island was mainly used for fishing , later a lighthouse was also located on the island. From around 1960 to 1982, the island served as a landfill for millions of tons of contaminated soil that was dredged from the nearby River Rouge , which significantly expanded the size of the island. Because of this use, the island is still heavily contaminated today.
enlargement
When Detroit experienced rapid industrialization at the beginning of the 20th century, many companies in the growing industry discharged their sewage into the Detroit River, which had a devastating effect on the ecosystem . Eventually the river became so polluted that the United States Congress intervened and made Grassy Island and its surroundings part of the Wyandotte National Wildlife Refuge in 1967 . Since increasing trade and expanding cargo ships required deeper fairways in the Detroit River and its main tributary, the River Rouge, the United States Army Corps of Engineers took control of Grassy Island from 1960 to 1982 and used the island to deposit millions of cubic meters Sediments from the nearby River Rouge. Dykes were built around Grassy Island to hold back these partially heavily contaminated deposits.
After the dredging project was completed, the island increased in size from 2.4 hectares to 29 hectares. Because of this massive enlargement of the island, it can be classified as an artificial island, nothing of the original island can be seen today. The mouth of the River Rouge has been modified to make it easier to navigate, creating the man-made Zug Island . All of the earth dredged there was heaped on Grassy Island, regardless of the amount of pollutants it contained. The appearance and composition of the island are now unnatural. The sides of the island form steep earthworks that pose various dangers to those attempting to dock and enter the island.
pollution
Around the time that Grassy Island became a landfill for material dredged from the River Rouge, at least nine large industrial plants, including the Ford River Rouge Complex , were discharging their sewage into the river. This led to the formation of large amounts of toxic residues around the mouth of the river in the Detroit River, which is exactly where the earth masses came after 1960, with which the island was filled. Today, Grassy Island is polluted with polychlorinated biphenyls , polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals such as mercury and lead .
The soil on the island contains 28 different pollutants that exceed state and federal limits. There is no immediate danger for people who enter the island because there is a thin protective cover layer on the contaminated heaps, but access is prohibited. However, this ban is not strictly enforced. The island is now largely devoid of animals and plants, as 97 percent of the original wetlands around the Detroit River were drained by 1982. The island has not been declared a site in the Superfund program, but the Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations have taken similar measures to clean up Grassy Island. The Department of the Interior began looking for a way out in 1994. Investigations are currently underway to determine whether the various pollutants are entering the Detroit River.
In 2001, the Wyandotte National Wildlife Refuge, including Grassy Island, was incorporated into the newly created Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge , allowing more federal funding to be allocated for the river's rehabilitation. Extensive land areas were reserved for ecological renewal. In this context, a large part of the river has been cleared and a number of deep and plant species that were once native there have settled down again.
See also
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c Metropolitan Affairs Coalition: A Conservation Vision for the Lower Detroit River Ecosystem ( English , PDF; 693 kB) October 2001. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Information: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ^ A b c Stephanie Millsap: Grassy Island Disposal Facility ( English ) July 23, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
- ↑ a b c Bruce A. Manny: Ecological Restoration of Grassy Island and the Wyandotte National Wildlife Refuge in the Detroit River ( English ) United States Geological Survey . Retrieved December 10, 2010.
- ↑ Lighthouse Marketing LTD: Lighthouse Digest: Mission to Mama ( English ) 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ↑ a b c d Mike Ingles: Health Report on Grassy Island - Detroit River ( English ) January 30, 2008. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Information: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
- ↑ a b Great Lakes Information Network: Investigation of Hazardous Substance Contamination on Grassy Island ( English ) November 8, 2004. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
- ↑ Citizens Environmental Alliance: Environmental Problems in the Detroit River Area of Concern ( English , PDF; 24 kB) p. November 3, 1996. Accessed December 10, 2009.
- ↑ a b Stephanie Millsap: Grassy Island: Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (FAQ) ( English ) Feb 2006. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
