St. Louis River Area of Concern Cleanup Continues
Contaminated water is being cleaned up and cleared out at Howards Bay in Superior, Wisconsin.
- By Shereen Hashem
- May 24, 2021
The EPA began dredging contaminated sediment in the St. Louis River Area of Concern at Howards Bay in Superior, Wisconsin. In the mid-1980s, St. Louis River AOC was classified by the U.S. and Canada as the most environmentally degraded area in the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Sediment in Howards Bay is mostly polluted of contaminants typically associated with fossil fuels, including: coal, gas and oil. According to an article, the cleanup effort is a combination of routine navigation, dredging, along with environmental restoration to remove contamination.
The article states that a mechanical dredge will remove approximately 75,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment which will be disposed of at the Wisconsin Point Landfill. There will be a protective layer of soil to cover the contaminated sediment.
EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office oversees the $12.1 million cleanup – a voluntary project funded by the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and non-federal partners, Fraser Shipyards Inc., Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Superior, WI.
GLRI launched a program to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the largest system of fresh water in the world. EPA anticipates the cleanup will be completed by fall 2021.
About the Author
Shereen Hashem is the Associate Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety Magazine.