February 2026: 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.

This month we are highlighting past completed St. Louis River Area of Concern projects.

Image: Habitat restoration of 21st Avenue West within the Duluth/Superior Harbor on western Lake Superior, credit MPCA

Photo: Dredge barge with material excavated from the federal navigation channel, used to create the 21st ave w habitat features, credit MPCA

21st Avenue West

Shallow water habitats within the 21st Avenue West embayment were heavily altered while developing the harbor, and sediment quality declined after decades of receiving untreated municipal and industrial discharge.

Based on preliminary environmental assessments, the 21st Avenue West embayment contained hotspots with moderate levels of legacy contaminants that were targeted for mitigation.

A six-year construction effort, completed in 2018, beneficially used over 760,000 cubic yards (CY) of federal navigational dredge material that both capped hotspots to eliminate exposure risk and improve habitat quality by creating more complex underwater shoaling features.

Overall, surficial sediment quality has improved within the 21st Avenue West project boundary and indicators of benthic community health monitored after construction are trending towards recovery.

For more information: visit the this Habitat Restoration Sites Story Map

Photo: Schematic of 21st avenue west sediment placement areas, credit MPCA

Ice Safety Event

Join the St. Louis River Alliance and Area of Concern Coordinators for our next River Connection Field Event—an Ice Safety event on Saturday, February 7, from 12–2 p.m. at Munger Landing in Duluth. Learn practical skills for recognizing safe ice conditions and practicing self-rescue techniques, while also hearing about Area of Concern restoration projects that have helped clean up and restore this stretch of the St. Louis River.

For more information and to register: visit the St. Louis River Alliance’s event calendar