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The collection, 1997-2016 (scattered), and undated, consists of materials printed in 2019 from 3 DVDs, documenting information about the Pine River Superfund Citizen Task Force (CAG), and material related to the PBB contamination of cattle feed by Velsicol Chemical in the 1970s in Michigan, with a focus on contamination of St. Louis. The 2020 Addition Acc#76923 includes Boxes 13-20 and one Oversized Folder, 2003-2004, 2006, 2011-2016. Most of the contents includes investigative and final reports on the ecological, water supply, and human health risks in St. Louis related to the Velsicol Superfund Site, cleanup proposals and remedial action investigation report and contracts for the same site, including one specifically for the golf course, previously the Velsicol Burn Pit. Allergy Note: Please note Boxes 13-20 and the Oversized Folder have a musty or mildew smell to them.

Allergy Note: Please note Boxes 13-20 and the Oversized Folder have a musty or mildew smell to them.

The collection, 1997-2011 (scattered), and undated, consists of materials printed in 2019 from 3 DVDs, documenting information about the Pine River Superfund Citizen Task Force (CAG), and material related to the PBB contamination of cattle feed by Velsicol Chemical in the 1970s in Michigan, with a focus on contamination of St. Louis. CAG materials compose the majority of the collection (5.75 cubic feet in 12 boxes). The CAG documents were either generated on a computer or scanned and retained in a computer. They include newspaper clippings, meeting agendas, memos, meeting minutes, emails, journal articles, event posters, handwritten notes, financial records, and member rosters. The PBB and Velsicol documents include newspaper articles about the contamination. Copies of a few earlier references from the 1960s are included. Also included are copies of two DVDs that contain videotaped interviews of two CAG members, Jane Keon and Melissa Strait by Comcast Newsmakers, 2008. These interviews were also accessible, as of 2019, on the CAG Facebook page. The topic is the receipt of the Carter Partnership Award by the CAG and Alma College. Melissa Strait was a member and chair of the chemistry department at Alma College. Copyright of the DVDs is unknown, likely held by Comcast Newsmakers. The collection is organized according to original order.

This is the only collection documenting the CAG and its efforts to attain federal government recognition of the contamination in the St. Louis area and fund its remediation. Until the CAGs efforts began to make national news, there was minimal effort to document the tragedy outside of those directly impacted by it. Michigan’s PBB tragedy was largely forgotten. The CAGs efforts re-energized awareness of the tragedy. As a result, Alma College, Central Michigan University, University of Michigan, and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, faculty, staff and students began to document, collect and preserve primary source materials for future researchers, including ongoing health issues of effected people of the tragedy. Without the CAGs efforts, St. Louis would remain an undocumented major national toxic site.

The 2020 Addition Acc#76923 includes Boxes 13-20 and one Oversized Folder, 2003-2004, 2006, 2011-2016. Most of the contents includes investigative and final reports on the ecological, water supply, and human health risks in St. Louis related to the Velsicol Superfund Site, cleanup proposals and remedial action investigation report and contracts for the same site, including one specifically for the golf course, previously the Velsicol Burn Pit. Authors of the reports include CDM Smith; CH2M Hill; Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr and Huber, Inc.; Michigan Department of Environmental Quality; Weston Solutions of Michigan, Inc. (sometimes their name on reports is typed as Weston Solutions Inc. of Michigan). Also included is the draft chapters and list of chapters of Keon’s book Tombstone Town: Left for dead, marked with a tombstone, a toxic town fights back, 2015, which includes more detailed information than what was included in the book. The addition is organized in alphabetical order by creator name, then by title. Most of the materials were in large binders originally and were foldered retaining the order of the binder contents.

Processing Note: Two DVDs were copied that contain videotaped interviews of two CAG members, and the originals were returned to donor as per the donor’s request. One W2 found in the collection, which contained a personal social security number, was removed from the collection.

Jonathan W. Bulkley (1938-2019) was the University of Michigan's Professor Emeritus of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Peter M. Wege Endowed Professor Emeritus of Sustainable Systems in the School of Natural Resources and Environment (now the School for Environment and Sustainability). Bulkley's expertise in water resource management and water policy was sought in numerous lawsuits over the course of his career, most notably as special master (1978-1979) and monitor (1979-2009) in several cases regarding the failure of various Michigan organizations to comply with iterations of the 1972 Clean Water Act. He was also a member of the Ann Arbor, Mich. Housing Commission and served as its president in 1974-1976. This collection primarily documents Bulkley's legal and other professional activities and includes architectural drawings, clippings, correspondence, court proceedings and testimony, reports, legal documents, committee and meeting files, operating logs, notes, publications, and photographs. A small portion of records relates to Bulkley's work on the Ann Arbor Housing Commission. These records include records of meetings, policy statements, and staff materials documenting the work of the commission.

The Jonathan W. Bulkley papers primarily document Bulkley's involvement in several legal cases, including the 1977 lawsuit United States v. The City of Detroit (case number 77-71100) and the 1987 lawsuitU.S. v. Wayne County (case number 87-70992), both presided over by Judge John Feikens. These lawsuits concerned the failure of both the City of Detroit and Wayne County's wastewater treatment plants to adhere to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and Clean Water Act. Judge Feikens was lauded for his handling of these cases, as he focused on negotiation and settlement, rather than unilateral judgement; the cases were resolved through complex consent judgements that were amended over time.

This collection also documents Bulkley's involvement in the Ann Arbor Housing Commission as well as various other academic and professional work he undertook throughout his career. Examples include his work in various smaller lawsuits, including one brought against the City of Toledo, Ohio by the U.S. (civil action number 3:91:CV7646), his involvement in the controversy over the removal of the Huron River's Argo Dam, and his work with the Michigan Environmental Science Board (MESB).

Materials in this collection include correspondence, maps, memos, reports, articles and clippings, notes, papers, court proceedings, testimony, and other legal materials, committee and meeting files, operating logs, course notes, architectural drawings, subject files, project plans, and photographs.

Researchers should note that due to the complex and intermingled nature of the various legal cases, some materials relating to the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) may be found in the Rouge River Watershed (RRW) series, and vice versa. When possible, materials have been kept in Bulkley's original groupings, and have been arranged in a rough chronological order.

The Organizational Records, 1932-2020, and undated, provide an unprecedented record of marine construction in the Great Lakes, including work on the Mackinac Bridge, the Soo Locks, and the Chicago Sanitary Canal, harbor work, dredging, and, more recent, habitat restoration projects.

The records include the following four series: Professional Organizations and Local History, 1980-2009; Daily Reports, 1960-1993; Jobs, 1932-2002, and No Low Bids (NLBs), 1970-2002. In addition, one folder of organizational history materials, published and written notes, collected by the archivist, is found in the first folder in Box 1. The collection is organized following its original order, by series, and within series by number, date, and format.

Series1: Professional Organizations and Local History, 1980-2009 (3 boxes, 1.5 cubic ft.), includes records of the following organizations: AASD and MCC; BLU; DCA; NADC; and Benzie County Economic Development Corporation. The series documents the involvement of the Luedtke family in professional organizations and associations and in their local community. This series is organized alphabetical by organization name, type of format, and then chronologically.

AASD and MCC (the American Association of Small Dredging and Marine Construction Companies), which is the predecessor of the National Association of Dredging Contractors (NACD), Testimonial, Senate Committee on Small Business, September 21, 1987 (one folder in Box 1). This folder includes background information such as newspaper clippings, congressional testimony, witness lists.

Benzie County Economic Development Corporation, Annual Meeting Minutes, 1980-2009 (Box 2, .5 cubic foot) includes: agendas, meeting minutes, reports, board comments, bylaws, and attachments including guidelines to establish a port authority, consulting proposal, articles of incorporation, and as resignation letter.

BLUA (Betsie Lake Utilities Authority) organizational records, 2004-2008 (Box 3, .5 cubic foot), include: Articles of Incorporation, 1988; Correspondence, 2005; Engineering Proposal, 1998; photograph of board members, 2004; property purchases, 2004; meeting minutes, 2007-2008; and wastewater treatment facility improvements, 2003.

DCA (Dredging Contractors of America) Annual Meeting materials, 2001-2008 (part 6 folders in Box 1) includes: greetings, activities, maps, driving directions, lists of attendees, schedules of events, reception and banquet information, agendas, meeting Minutes, biographies of speakers, financial records, reports, and bylaws.

NADC (National Association of Dredging Contractors) Annual Meeting materials, 1988-1989 (3 folders in Box 1), includes: agendas, meeting minutes, reports, financial records, congressional reception materials, by-laws, and enclosures.

Series 2: Daily Reports, 1960-1993, Boxes 4-77 (73 boxes, 36.5 cubic feet). This series is on printed Daily Report forms. Each form includes the following information added in handwriting: job number, date, day, shift, location, names of men who worked that day, their classification and rate of pay, equipment used, hours worked, total figures. Daily Reports are organized by job number and begin with Job number 298, 1960. There are obvious skips in the sequential job numbers within the series which were present when the collection came to the Clarke.

Series 3: Jobs, 1932-2002, Boxes 77-314 (237 boxes, 118.5 cubic feet). This series includes the jobs that Luedtke bid on, won, and completed in Michigan and other states including Illinois, Wisconsin, New York, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and California. Some of these jobs were for the U.S. Corps of Engineers, which was noted on the labels. Most of the jobs include building something in a marine environment, but Luedtke also hauled rocks, lifted sunken boats, and moved a crane. Each job may include some or all of the following material: communications (various types), bid opening form, bid proposal, contract, addendums to bid, bid proposal, and/or contract; drawings (various, often blue-lines), lists of cost, equipment, labor, hours; changes to contract, certificates or bills of insurance, quality assurance programs, claims, quality control, financials/cost sheets, permits, newspaper clippings (copies), contracts, orders for equipment, photographs, negatives, change orders, and survey reports. Some of the earliest photographs include 1920s photographs of Luedtke divers in hard hat suits for commercial diving (deep diving). There are also incident reports and notes about a fire in Chicago. The series is in order by job number, which is also in chronological order. The first Job documented is number 5, Waukegan, Illinois, 1932, and the last is Job 309, Kenosha, Wisconsin, 2002. The sequential job number is almost complete. Two jobs have no number and are filed in the order in which they were found: Job H, Mackinaw city, 1943 – 1944, and Job Unknown, Port Washington, WI, 1950.

Jobs of note include the following: Job 354 includes correspondence with Albert Kahn Associated Architects and Engineers, 1966. Job 692 includes vandalism and oil spill. Job 644 includes photographs of Luedtke on strike. Job 608 includes information that Luedtke was fined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), see the correspondence on yellow paper. There are also several major lawsuits within this series, notably one with Chicago over a collapsed tunnel (Job 763), a long, vicious lawsuit in which Luedtke finally emerged vindicated.

Series 4: No Low Bids (NLBs), 1970-2002, Boxes 315-375 (60 boxes, 30 cubic feet) document jobs Luedtke either just collected data on and decided not to bid on, or jobs they collected data on, bid on, and lost to competitors. There are very few completed bids in this series. Some of these jobs were for the U.S. Coast Guard or the U.S. Corps of Engineers, which was noted on the labels. For each Michigan job the folder may include some of all of the following material: abstract, proposal and/or addendum, maps, photographs, negatives, bid form and instructions, description of work to be done, equipment to be used, survey reports, invitation to bid and addendums, drawings (various), communications (various), project manuals, Luedtke notes of informational meetings, and project planning notes (on green paper), and insurance bid bonds. Sometimes Luedtke sent letters protesting that the competitor who won the bid over Luedtke could not possibly do the job at the rate they promised. These letters have been retained in the series. Besides Michigan, there are NLBs for Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Indiana, and Missouri. This series is in chronological by month, day and year. For labeling purposes, the name of the job and year was included on the folder label, not the month, but the strict chronological order in which they were originally filed was followed by the processors. This series was heavily weeded. Please refer to the processing notes for clarification on the weeding.

All the boxes in the collection are .5 cubic foot boxes, except for two, Box #4 and #351, which are both .25 cubic foot boxes, a point which is noted on the box and folder listing.

Allergy Note: Those with allergies should be aware that while the collection overall is in excellent condition, parts of it have a slight mildew odor. Researchers should exercise caution while using the collection.

The 2023 addition mostly includes a sample of subsequent Job files. Still unprocessed. Also included here are Boxes 376-377 which contain materials collected by members of the Luedtke family for reference and because of their services on multiple Great Lakes and for multiple organizations such as American Waterways Operators, Great Lakes Commission, Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, Lake Carriers’ Association, UnLock Our Jobs, US Army Corps of Engineers, and the Waterways Council. The folders contain: meeting minutes, agendas, PowerPoint printouts, newsletters, military documents, a CD, mission statements, news articles, informational packets, and some advertising material.

American Waterways Operators: A Tugboat, Barge, Towboat advocacy group operating in the United States and its waterways.

Great Lakes Commission: A public agency established in 1955 with the goal of being a forum to support the industry, trade, quality of life, and environment of the Great Lakes for both the United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Great Lakes Maritime Task Force: The Task Force was founded in 1992 to promote waterborne commerce and other related industries on the Great Lakes. Involving and representing a wide array of different groups including but not limited to, cargo shippers, Vessel owners, maritime laborers, marine and shipyard construction companies, and port authorities.

Lake Carriers’ Association: The Association promotes the interest of U.S.-flag vessel operators on the Great Lakes through change by legislation and regulatory advocacy by educating legislators, regulators, and the public in the role of the Great Lakes. This includes the effects it has on the American economy and to increase the efficiency of waterborne commerce.

UnLock Our Jobs: This organization has the goal of protecting the waterways of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River from the spread of Asian Carp while leaving the Chicago Locks open for use. The organization is composed of a coalition of agriculture businesses, river communities, laborers, and concerned citizens.

US Army Corps of Engineers: A branch of the United States Army, The Corps of Engineers in both war and peacetime is dedicated to maintaining the security of the United States, improving environmental sustainability, maintain the United States infrastructure, and supporting research and development for the stability and safety of the United States. In terms of the Great Lakes, they are responsible for dredging America’s waterways allowing for continued transportation of commodities.

Waterways Council: Founded in 2003 the Council's goal is for the protection, preservation, restoration, and improvements of the many Great Lakes locks and waterway systems.

Processing Note:

As per the donor agreement, all materials not retained by the Clarke were set aside to be reviewed by the donor. Materials weeded from the collection include duplicates, blank forms, taxes, miscellaneous financials and correspondence, and reading material. A total of 81 cubic feet (76 boxes) of material was withdrawn during processing.

The Jobs folder included lawsuit depositions which included social security numbers. Pages with social security numbers were removed or copied and the copies were retained. Much supporting documentation was withdrawn from the law suits. Lawsuit materials retained explain sufficiently what the lawsuit was, who was involved, and how it was finally settled. Also, all materials were retained for jobs at Detroit, Mackinaw and the Soo Locks.

The No Low Bid (NLB) series was heavily weeded. For out-of-state jobs that Luedtke actually bid on the Clarke retained the proposal, contract, addendums to both, and Luedtke notes (usually on green paper). Luedtke collected a lot of information in this series but did not always bid on the jobs. If there was no evidence that they actually bid on the job and it was out-of-state, the entire folder was weeded. If it was unclear if Luedtke bid on a job in Michigan, all the materials in the folder were retained and a note was put in from the archivist explaining the situation.

During processing of Boxes 376-377, individual meeting bios, non-relevant advertising, duplicates, Congressional Research Services documentation, personal contact information, personal notes were withdrawn.