Corps of Engineers removing contaminated Howards Bay sediment

Published Sept. 16, 2020
Aerial photo of Howards Bay in Superior, Wisconsin.

Aerial photo of Howards Bay in Superior, Wisconsin.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will remove more than 130,000 cubic yards of material, including contaminated sediment and debris, from Howards Bay in Superior, Wisconsin beginning this fall.

The removal is part of a maintenance dredging contract the Corps’ Detroit District awarded to La Crosse, Wisconsin-based, J.F. Brennan Company, Inc.

“Dredging in Howards Bay is a voluntary public-private partnership formed under the Great Lakes Legacy Act to dredge contaminated sediment from Howards Bay,” said Project Manager Steve Rumple. “Cleanup of sediment at Howards Bay is a necessary action to remove beneficial use impairments and to eventually delist the St. Louis River Area of Concern.”

The area of concern is one of 31 across the U.S. Great Lakes portion under the U.S-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1987. The agreement commits both countries to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Waters of the Great Lakes.”

The $13.6 million contract includes dredging 52,000 cubic yards of material from the federal navigation channel and placing it in a government furnished disposal facility. An additional 80,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment and debris will go to the Wisconsin Point Landfill. Strategic navigational dredging begins this fall with most dredging activities finishing by November 2021.

The project partnership includes the Environmental Protection Agency, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, City of Superior and Fraser Shipyard, a private company located in Superior. The Environmental Protection Agency provides major funding through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The Detroit District is responsible for an area which includes all of Michigan and parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Indiana – with 3,200 miles of Great Lakes shoreline. More information on the project can be found at: https://go.usa.gov/xG5yQ.

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Contact
Bill Dowell
313-226-4680
William.R.Dowell@usace.army.mil

Release no. 20-033