U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes National Program Office is working with its non-federal sponsor, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, to clean up pollution in the St. Louis River Area of Concern. The Azcon/Duluth Seaway Port Authority slip will be cleaned up in 2020. This project is being performed under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative’s (GLRI) sediment remediation component, the Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA). The work is an important step in removing the St. Louis River AOC from a list of the most polluted places around the Great Lakes.

Azcon/DSPA Slip

The Azcon/DSPA Slip project will result in the remediation of about 55,000 cubic yards of polluted sediment (mud) in the slip. The mud is contaminated with heavy metals, dioxin/furans, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Project activities include removing approximately 600 cubic yards of contaminated sediments.  The remainder of the contaminated sediments will be capped in place.  The cap will isolate contaminants and protect against damage from boat traffic. The sediment cleanup is expected to take place during the 2020 construction season and will cost about $4.5 million.

Completing this remedial action will contribute to the removal of the Restrictions on Dredging Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI), the Fish Consumption Advisories BUI, and Degradation of Benthos BUI in the St. Louis River AOC.  Additional sediment remediation actions will be necessary to fully address these BUIs.