ST. LOUIS RIVER AREA OF CONCERN UDPATES: 2021 Remedial Action Plan
The 2021 St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC) Remedial Action Plan update is now available, incorporating feedback we received from people on the draft that was shared in December. The document is available online here.
About The St. Louis River AOC Remedial Action Plan
The Remedial Action Plan is updated annually to summarize progress made in the AOC over the last year and share remaining activities that need to be completed before the AOC can be delisted. The plan also includes a summary of the status of all 80 management actions and tracks progress on projects that are important for reaching delisting targets.
Nine environmental problems, called beneficial use impairments, 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.
At this time, 50% of the 80 management actions have been completed and three of the nine impairments have been removed. Once all impairments are removed, the St. Louis River can be removed from the list of most polluted sites on the Great Lakes.
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 launched in 2010, helps AOCs clean up pollution and restore waterways.
The four coordinating agencies that work together to publish the annual RemedialAction Plan are:
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
