Fox River Cleanup Group Selects Tetra Tech
Tetra Tech, Inc. was selected by the Fox River Cleanup Group for the first phase of a design-build sediment remediation program for the lower Fox River in Green Bay, Wis.—one of the largest sediment remediation programs in the world.
Under contract with Appleton Paper, Inc., a member of the Fox River Cleanup Group, Tetra Tech plans to remediate approximately 4 million cubic yards of sediment contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The PCB contamination is the result of previous industrial uses, including pulp and paper production and recycling mills. This program is potentially worth approximately $600 to $700 million over about 10 years.
"The Fox River cleanup will be the largest PCB river remediation project in the world," said Christopher Gower, the executive responsible for the Fox River project on behalf of API. "Effectively removing PCBs from an active river bed poses many technical challenges. We selected Tetra Tech because of their innovative technical approach, their demonstrated ability to address similar world-class environmental challenges, and their ability to work with the project owners to efficiently manage project costs."
Tetra Tech has already performed preliminary engineering work, including engineering design and construction services for a large-scale membrane filter press facility for sediment desanding and dewatering. The company is supervising construction of a 247,800-square-foot processing facility on a 25-acre site along the river's edge. Dredging is scheduled to begin in May 2009. Over the next five months, Tetra Tech plans to complete engineering work that will ultimately address sediment remediation and the construction of about 400 acres of engineered capping systems to isolate contamination.