January 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.
Continue reading for January St. Louis River Area of Concern project updates.
Photo: Clean sand being placed in Howards Bay after dredging was completed, credit WDNR.
Howards Bay Remediation Project
Near Fraser Shipyards, due to past industries, river sediment was contaminated with lead, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), mercury, and tributyltin. Through a voluntary public-private partnership between USEPA, Wisconsin DNR, Fraser Shipyards, and the City of Superior under the Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA), this project addressed the contaminated sediments in Howards Bay, three adjoining slips, and the federal navigation channel.
Approximately 119,000 cubic yards (CY) of contaminated sediment was dredged
One 30-ton sunken commercial fish tug removed and recycled
About 9,700 CY of dredged material was disposed of at a commercial landfill because levels of contamination were too high for reuse
Approximately 75,000 CY of moderately contaminated material was beneficially used to improve drainage off the cover of the closed Wisconsin Point Landfill. This allowed for the opening of previously inaccessible landfill space to the public with a hiking trail and shelter
For more information: visit the Wisconsin DNR’s website
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
