Map courtesy of TLPAC Much of the focus of the 2026 Torch Lake cleanup projects will focus on the Torch Lake Recreation Area. While campground will remain open, the beach will be closed for the summer and into late fall.

LAKE LINDEN – The Village Council last Wednesday heard from representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding the timeline and process for the upcoming cleanup project in Torch Lake.

A specific date for the beginning of the project has not yet been established, but the Council learned it will begin sometime in May or early June and will continue through October or November.

Much of the information provided to the Council had been shared earlier this month at an open house hosted by the department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the EPA at the Lake Linden-Hubbell High School.

Most of the upcoming work is scheduled to focus on an area south of the Lake Linden, particularly in the bay, in the vicinity of the Lake Linden Recreation Area.

At both the open house and the Council meeting, the EPA said the campground and the marina should be unaffected by the work, but the beach within the campground will closed to the public and fenced for the duration of the summer season.

Franklin Township Supervisor and Torch lake Public Action Committee (TLPAC) Board Member Mary Sears said EGLE and the EPA said the cleanup will consist of the removal of approximately 13,300 cubic yards of sediment contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead, arsenic and zinc from the LLRA. It is anticipated the cleanup will take place in 2026.

Throughout the studies and cleanup, Honeywell International has been a key private-sector partner working with the EPA and EGLE. There has been some public curiosity over how Honeywell became involved.

According to the TLPAC, Honeywell is a successor owner of the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company (C&H) properties along the western shore of Torch Lake. These properties have included land and remaining refining and processing buildings in Lake Linden, Hubbell, and Tamarack City.

As a successor to C&H, Honeywell is considered a “responsible party” and required to participate in any remediation activities under Superfund law. Honeywell is currently liable for C&H activities even though the Honeywell predecessor (UOP) operated mines and the associated processing facilities only very briefly, says the TLPAC.

Since 2007, Honeywell has been involved in cleaning up areas in Lake Linden and Hubbell. The Superfund Emergency Response program entered the scene in 2007 to address areas that were left out of the original Superfund remediation of stamp sands. Honeywell reimbursed EPA for removal of contaminated soils near the Lake Linden Beach shoreline.