October 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 current St. Louis River Area of Concern project updates.
Along with many partners, Wisconsin DNR was busy in August and September with manoomin restoration work. Working alongside the 1854 Treaty Authority, WDNR and MNDNR helped monitor 580 individual points across 14 bays in the St. Louis River estuary, looking at the density, it’s health, height, companion plants and more.
During the 2026 season, 56 exclosures were installed by FdL Band, MNDNR and WIDNR, allowing the manoomin to grow without being eaten by waterfowl, which encourages seed growth and dispersal. A total of 8,448 pounds of rice was seeded to continue restoration efforts to build a restored seedbank. Manoomin in the SLR Estuary showed encouraging growth and expansion beyond seeding areas in 2026.
Photos: 1. Manoomin (wild rice) blooms in Allouez Bay, 2. Ripening Manoomin in Allouez Bay, Superior (credit: WDNR)
