EPA Awards $10.1 Million Contract as $34 Million Superior Bay Sediment Cleanup Enters Final Phase
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 22 that EPA, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and Superior Water, Light and Power Co. (SWL&P) have awarded a $10.1 million contract to clean up contaminated sediment in the C Street Slip, a 12-acre slip in Superior Bay, Wisconsin. The project is the final phase of a $34 million project agreement to remove contaminated sediment and control sources of contamination in the St. Louis River Area of Concern.
EPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel said the milestone reflects years of commitment and collaboration among federal, state, local, and private partners, and that removing the long-standing source of pollution will improve environmental quality, support recreation, and strengthen an important Great Lakes resource. Wisconsin DNR Secretary Karen Hyun said the contract award reflects the trust and partnership built among SWL&P, EPA, and the state over many years. SWL&P President Rob Sandstrom said the effort began with manufactured gas plant waste left from 125 years ago, and that the partnership will allow EPA to remove all sources of contamination from the slip.
According to EPA, historical industrial use of the St. Louis River, along with wastewater discharges, contaminated the river's sediment with mercury, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other toxins. Work on the C Street Slip project is expected to begin in 2027. Crews will remove approximately 23,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment containing high levels of mercury and PAHs; the sediment will be dried and transported for disposal at an approved facility, and a thin sand cover layer will be placed in the project area after removal.
The St. Louis River was designated an Area of Concern under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1987. It drains a 3,634-square-mile watershed and encompasses a 1,020-square-mile area, making it the second-largest Area of Concern in the United States; 23 Areas of Concern remain nationwide. EPA and its partners have so far remediated more than 1.9 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment and restored more than 1,000 acres of important habitat in the St. Louis River Area of Concern, completing 13 of the 19 sediment remediation projects and 17 of the 19 habitat restoration projects needed to delist the area. The work is funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and non-federal contributions through project agreements under the Great Lakes Legacy Act.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Superior Bay 内 C Street Slip 项目区俯瞰图（环保署 EPA 官方发布，公共领域）
