April 2023: St. Louis River Area of Concern Updates
The St. Louis River (SLR) was designated as one of the 31 Areas of Concern (AOC) on the Great Lakes. It was designated as an AOC under the U.S. – Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1987 because of significant impacts that occurred before modern environmental laws were in place. Following the SLRAOC Remedial Action Plan, state and federal agencies have been implementing management actions to address the legacy impairments. If you look, you can now see the work in progress throughout the SLRAOC: contractors are busy each construction season, plant and animal populations are rebounding, water is cleaner, and lost habitat is being restored.
Here are some current project updates, continue reading for further details:
Superior Slip Sediment Remediation Project | Information can now be found on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website.
Spirit Lake | Construction in progress, no public access until work is complete. Please stay clear of work outlined in map below.
The St. Louis River Area of Concern: From a Fond du Lac Viewpoint | Due to winter weather, this event has been rescheduled to Thursday, April 13th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Black Bear Casino
Scanlon Reservoir | Parking area, road, fishing pier, kayak launch and recreational trail is now open. However, the trail may close again for up to 30 days for site restoration work during Spring 2023.
Munger Landing & Ponds behind Erie Pier | No public access! Please stay out of these work areas until official announcements about their reopening have bene made.
Superior Slip Sediment Remediation Project
Photo Credit: General Mills Shipping Slip provided by AECOM
Information about the upcoming Superior Slips Sediment Remediation Projects can now be found on WDNR’s website.
About this project:
The Superior Slips Sediment Remediation Project is one of several projects to clean up and restore the St. Louis River Area of Concern. This project focuses on contaminated sediment in three industrial shipping slips at the Port of Superior: General Mills Slip, Oil Barge Dock Slip and Tower Avenue Slip.
Over a century of heavy industrial activities in the Port of Superior have led to environmental degradation of sediment in areas of the harbor. Sediment in these slips is contaminated with metals, mercury, organotin, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and other compounds that are targeted for cleanup by 2026 as part of the overall effort to remove the St. Louis River from the list of most polluted sites on the Great Lakes.
Project schedule and opportunities to get involved:
The Superior Slips Sediment Remediation Feasibility Study began in June 2022 and is projected to be completed in late summer 2023 with a set of recommendations for actions to clean up sediment in the slips.
The design of the chosen remedy is anticipated to occur in 2023 - 2024, and the work to clean up the polluted sediment is expected to take place in 2024 - 2026.
Project details, findings, and remediation alternatives will be presented at public engagement meetings that will be scheduled in spring and summer 2023.
Spirit Lake Update
Photo Credit: Above is a red-bordered outline of the project area, provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency
Intermittent work at the Spirit Lake site will continue until mid-April, when full operations will resume & continue into Fall 2023.
Security will be present at the site & the site will remain closed to public access until all work is complete. For your safety, please stay clear of the work area outlined in red. LEARN MORE HERE
About this Project:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Steel Corporation (US Steel) have entered a partnership to clean up impacted sediment and soil within the Spirit Lake area of the St. Louis River in Duluth, Minnesota. This work is being conducted as part of the Great Lakes Legacy Act project agreement between EPA and U.S. Steel. The site is located within the St. Louis River Area of Concern and is south of the Morgan Park neighborhood in Duluth. The site has in-water cleanup areas which include Spirit Lake, Unnamed Creek, and Wire Mill Pond as well as onshore clean up areas.
The purpose of the project is to address chemical constituents of concern, primarily polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, and associated heavy metals including lead, copper and zinc in the Spirit Lake area. The large environmental cleanup includes dredging, capping and monitoring impacted sediment. The cleanup will support the eventual delisting of the St. Louis River AOC and will result in benefits to people and the ecological system. The cleanup operations began in October 2020. They are being performed by contractors to EPA and U.S. Steel.
The St. Louis River Area of Concern: From a Fond du Lac Perspective (RESCHEDULED)
RESCHEDULED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER
Join us on THURSDAY, APRIL 13TH from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for ‘The St. Louis River Area of Concern: From a Fond du Lac Viewpoint’ at the Stoney Brook Creek Room at Black Bear Casino (1785 MN-210, Carlton, MN 55718).
Speakers from the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa will share their unique cultural perspectives about the St. Louis River Area of Concern, their partnership role, and their own natural resource management efforts.
Around the Earth drum group will open with song and Naawakwe will share Ojibwe place names in the Estuary. St. Louis River Area of Concern Coordinators will share plans for their work in 2023.
This event is free and open to the public. Come enjoy snacks, a cash bar, and thoughtful conversations!
Scanlon Reservoir
The following recreational features at Scanlon Reservoir Park are now accessible: entrance road, parking area, fishing pier, & paddle boat launch. However, some areas may close temporarily during site restoration work in Spring 2023. There’s no access past the road gate.
Munger Landing & Ponds behind Erie Pier
Even if they look inactive, there is no public access at the Munger Landing & Ponds behind Erie Pier project sites. For everyone’s safety, please stay out of these work areas until official announcements about their reopening have been made.
Closure info here: Cross-City Trail & Munger Landing.
