EPA Grants $22M For St. Louis River Cleanup

The Environmental Protection Agency is investing $22 million to clean up a polluted section of the St. Louis River in Carlton.

The funding will tackle 330 acres of contaminated sediment in the Thomson Reservoir, according to the EPA.

A thin layer of activated carbon pellets will be placed over the sediment.  Officials say the carbon rapidly binds to the contaminants, which prevents accumulation on the river’s bottom where organisms live.

The process will also safeguard the aquatic food chain, according to the EPA

The EPA said the goal is to remove the St. Louis River from the Great Lakes Area of Concern list.