EPA, MPCA Announce $16M Sediment Cleanup Project Near Duluth-Superior Harbor

DULUTH, Minn. – On Wednesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency signed a $16 million project agreement to clean up contaminated sediment in the “ponds behind Erie Pier” in Duluth.

“EPA’s partnership with Minnesota continues to produce results in the St. Louis River Area of Concern,” said acting EPA Regional Administrator Cheryl Newton. “This sediment cleanup will address a century’s worth of contamination, protecting public health and aquatic life while improving access to a port that is critical to the region’s economy.”

The multi-million dollar project will remediate around 45,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediments in two ponds near the Duluth-Superior harbor in the St. Louis River Area of Concern.

According to a recent news release from the EPA, “the sediment is primarily contaminated with PCBs, PAHs, mercury, and chromium.”

“The great progress in the St. Louis River is pushed forward by the partnerships between federal, state, local and tribal governments, as well as many stakeholders,” said MCPA Commissioner Laura Bishop. “These vital restoration projects continue to bring exciting opportunities that support healthy families, recreation, and our economy.”

The cleanup will reduce the level of toxins in the bottom-dwelling community in the ponds which will, in turn, reduce the levels of contaminants in fish making them safer to eat.

The EPA says this project is part of the larger effort to restore and protect the Great Lakes through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.