St. Louis River Area of Concern Update: Public Input Opportunity for 2020 Remedial Action Plan (RAP)

The St. Louis River Area of Concern coordinating agencies would like to share a stakeholder feedback opportunity available now through December 7, 2020. A draft version of the 2020 Remedial Action Plan (RAP) is available for public review and comments on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources St. Louis River AOC website. See a PDF of this document here.

The RAP provides an annual opportunity for AOC stakeholders to review the progress made from October 2019 through September 2020. The draft 2020 RAP is organized as a “red line” document showing the deletions or insertions from the 2019 document. The update summarizes progress made in the AOC in the last year and shares the path forward with our partners and stakeholders. It includes a summary of the status of management actions and tracks progress on specific actions or projects that are important for reaching our delisting targets.

Nine environmental problems— called Beneficial Use Impairments in the AOC program— were identified for the St. Louis River AOC, along with management actions to address those problems. Delisting targets are specific goals and objectives established for each impairment, with measurable indicators to track results of pollution cleanup and restoration efforts. Once all impairments have met their targets and are removed, the AOC can be formally delisted.

The St. Louis River AOC was designated as one of 43 sites on the Great Lakes with significant environmental damage by the United States and Canada in 1987. Federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding, first authorized in 2010, is helping AOCs clean up pollution and restore waterways.

We are excited to share the progress that has been made in the St. Louis River AOC over the past year and to present this opportunity for stakeholders and partners to provide feedback in the update process.

Please provide feedback by December 7, 2020. Questions and comments can be sent to Matt Steiger, Wisconsin DNR St. Louis River AOC Coordinator, at 715-559-9523 or matthew.steiger@wisconsin.gov.

After stakeholder comments are reviewed, a final RAP will be shared and posted on the St. Louis River AOC website.

The four coordinating agencies that work together to publish the annual RAP are:

• Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

• Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.