Posted on June 29, 2017
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) announced this week that the recovery efforts facing the Lower Menominee River Area of Concern (AOC) have reached two major advances.
Contamination by industrial activities had led to the river’s AOC designation as far back as 1987, under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. It was found to have impaired sediment, habitat and aquatic life in the river. Projects were thus initiated with assistance and portions of funding from the MDEQ and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) to remove heavy metals (including arsenic), oil, grease and harmful chemicals released from the burning of coal, oil, and gasoline from the river.
Years of work culminated in improved sediment quality, which in turn led to the recovery of aquatic life in the riverbed. This led the Environmental Protection Agency to review and agree with MDEQ and WDNR recommendations that the river’s impairments had been restored.
As such, restrictions on dredging in the river have been lifted.
Restrictions on dredging and impairments to aquatic life in the riverbed are no longer considered problems due to successful restoration activities. This marks brings the state’s total restoration achievements up to a rate of 40 percent, which compares favorably to a regional average of approximately 24 percent.
Source: The Peninsula
