Azcon Slip, Howards Bay cleanup starts soon

The U.S. EPA and partners will soon begin work at two projects funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in the St. Louis River Area of Concern.

Cleanup activities are slated to begin at Azcon Slip in Duluth, Minn., and Howards Bay in Superior, Wis.

Both projects will remediate contaminated sediment under the authority of Great Lakes Legacy Act and are a collaboration between EPA, USACE and non-federal partners.

The actual construction work at both projects will be completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Work will begin this week in the Azcon/Duluth Seaway Port Authority Slip, an active 6.5-acre shipping slip located in the Duluth-Superior harbor.

The project will remediate approximately 55,000 cubic yards of sediment contaminated with lead, dioxin/furans and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs.

According to EPA, approximately 700 cubic yards of the most contaminated sediment in the Slip will be removed and properly disposed of.

The remainder will be capped in place with clean sediment to prevent exposure to aquatic organisms. The cap will be armored with stone to protect against erosion.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has agreed to contribute up to $1,575,000 to the total project cost of $4.5 million.