Posted on March 7, 2022
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW)– With the recent approval of dredging of the Mississippi River in front of Riverside Park for the new levee project, the Wisconsin DNR held a public meeting on Thursday to discuss the disposal of the material once it has been removed from the river.
The DNR said the material gathered from the river contains low levels of metals and contaminants which people should avoid coming in contact with.
The proposed disposal location is at a city owned area on the north end of Isle La Plume.
Parks and Recreation Project Specialist Jim Flottmeyer said that they have been working on a place to properly dispose of the material since last fall.
“We went in last fall and pushed back the current top soil so then this will go in and we will cap it and then we’ll seed it.” Flottmeyer said.
Due to the potential contaminants in the material, the city must take more precautionary actions when disposing of this material.
DNR Hydrogeologist Carolyn Cooper said that “by covering and seeding it, takes away the direct contact exposure.”
The dredging will be done by excavators that will first bring the material on land to de-watering it. It then gets trucked to Isle La Plume to the designated location.
If the Isle La Plume location is not approved, the material will be transported to a landfill instead.
Approval is expected later this month.
