September 2025: 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 September St. Louis River Area of Concern project updates.
Photo: This frame, called a quadrat, defines the sample area in which the number & types of aquatic plants are counted. The 2025 "veg" & "bug" sampling took place at Grassy Point, Kingsbury Bay, Perch Lake & Munger Landing in MN & at Pickle Pond in WI, provide by University of Wisconsin Superior.
Assessing Recovery
At 13 project sites, MPCA is counting spineless animals & plants living in river sediments. 2025 sampling was done at 145 “bug” stations & 284 “veg” stations within 5 completed project sites. Comparing “before & after” conditions will reveal if the health of the food chain is improving.
For more information: Read about the Degradation of Benthos Beneficial Use Impairment in the SLRAOC Remedial Action Plan (pages 23-26.)
