TRAVERSE CITY -- Pollution experts will share their notes and experiences at a conference about hazardous materials' impact on the environment.
The Northern Michigan Waterways Hazardous Materials Spills Committee will hold its 19th annual No Spills Conference Monday through Wednesday in Traverse City.
Topics will include Great Lakes water levels, pollution remediation, algae blooms, biodiesel and ethanol spill response guidelines and a case study of a recent fuel spill near Gaylord, among others.
"The goal of the conference is to network with and educate anyone who responds to spills into the Great Lakes and its tributaries," said Ryan Blazic, committee president.
Sessions also may be dents who keep up to speed on various environmental issues, he said.
The idea is to be better prepared to respond to and prevent hazardous material spills, Blazic said.
Andy Knott, executive director at the Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, said the three-day conference is ideal for environmentalists who want to keep a finger on the pulse of local water issues and keep area waterways safe from harm.
"Prevention is very important for water quality and water quality is important here," Knott said.
Knott is a past presenter at the annual conference, he said.
Bob Wagner, remediation and redevelopment supervisor with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, will speak about the latest activity with the Bay Harbor cleanup in Little Grand Traverse Bay.
Wagner will detail additional work done to better capture toxic leachate from water runoff over buried kiln dust left behind by an old cement factory, as well as recent investigation into the extent of the contamination. The luxury Bay Harbor residential community was built atop the underground pollutants.
"It's a really good conference to catch up on all the things going on in northern Michigan in regard to the release of hazardous materials in the past and some ongoing," Wagner said.
Other topics include a session on the DEQ permits for a nickel and copper mine in the Upper Peninsula proposed by Kennecott Minerals Co., restoration and protection of the Great Lakes and the Great Lakes Compact.
Registration for the three-day conference costs $175. Sessions will begin at 9 a.m. Monday at the Holiday Inn, 615 E. Front St. in Traverse City.
Visit www.no-spills.org for more information.
Keep our Great Lakes Great No-Spills Conference
TODAY
8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Registration
9 - 9:15 a.m. Opening Remarks and Welcome
9:15 - 9:45 a.m. Homeland Security Updates and Initiatives
9:45 -- 10:15 a.m. Great Lakes Compact & Great Lakes Protection and Restoration Initiative
10:15 -- 11 a.m. Upper Great Lakes Water Levels
11 -- 11:30 a.m. DEQ's Pollution Emergency Alerting System
11:30 a.m. -- 12 p.m. Vendor Introduction & Vendor Time
12 -- 1 p.m. Lunch
1 -- 1:45 p.m. International Bridge Security and Emergency Response
1:45 -- 2:30 p.m. Emergency Planning for Farms and Michigan Groundwater Stewardship Program Assistance
2:30 -- 2:45 p.m. Break
2:45 -- 3:30 p.m. Operation Dire Straits Summary
3:30 -- 4:15 p.m. Environment Canada Overview
4:15 -- 5:00 p.m. Bay Harbor Cleanup Update
5 -- 6:30 p.m. Network & Hospitality
TUESDAY
8 -- 8:45 a.m. Restoring and Protecting the Great Lakes
8:45 -- 9:30 a.m. Kennecott Mine - DEQ Permits
9:30 -- 9:45 a.m. Break
9:45 -- 10:30 a.m. Right to Farm Program, Michigan Dept. of Agriculture
10:30 -- 11:15 a.m. Harmful Algal Blooms & Nuisance Algae in the Great Lakes
11:15 a.m. - 12 p.m. 2008 Michigan Severe Weather Event/Response
12 -- 1 p.m. Lunch
1 -- 1:45 p.m. Coast Guard Area Contingency Plan
1:45 -- 2:30 p.m. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Overview & Shoreline Cleanup Assessment
2:30 -- 3 p.m. Break & Vendor Time
3 -- 3:30 p.m. U.S. EPA Michigan Projects
3:30 -- 4 p.m. Biodiesel and Ethanol Response Guidelines & Case Study
4 - 4:45 p.m. Boundary Blitz '08 Overview
4:45 -- 5 p.m. No-Spills Meeting -- General Membership Welcome
5 -- 7 p.m. Networking & Hospitality
WEDNESDAY
8 -- 8:45 a.m. National Response Framework
8:45 - 10:45 a.m. Gaylord Transporter Fuel Spill & Evacuation Tabletop
10:45 -- 11 a.m. Wrap up
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