The cleanup of Ox Creek has gotten a boost now that the former Modern Plastics property in Benton Harbor has been purchased by Harbor Shores.

The site at 489 North Shore Drive is about eight acres and sits along Ox Creek. Dane Rasmussen is the Ox Creek project manager for the city of Benton Harbor and tells us Harbor Shoes has been communicating with the city about its plans and is working to assess contamination in the creek now. This latest development is another piece of the cleanup puzzle.

“Ox Creek makes a hard curve right through the middle of the property that was purchased,” Rasmussen said. “So of the four and a half miles of Ox Creek, it’s not a huge stretch, but it’s a nice significant chunk right there, just shy of the confluence with Paw Paw River.”

Harbor Shores is working with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy as it assesses the situation. Rasmussen says he’s expecting materials more than 100 years old to be found in the creek, although those assessments will have to be made to understand the situation fully.

“We know that there’s some things there and some things to be concerned with the legacy pollution there, but further testing is scheduled in the next couple of months here and we’ll get more of a definitive answer.”

Meanwhile, Rasmussen says several grants have already been obtained to clean up contamination in the creek and develop the Ox Creek Corridor. Improvements at Hall Park are expected to begin next year with new basketball courts and trails, all thanks to a $1 million Michigan Spark Grant.