Munger Landing project includes dredging

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) this week released its environmental assessment of a project to remove decades-old legacy pollution from the Munger Landing area.

The project is part of larger St. Louis River Area of Concern effort that is addressing contamination at several sites in the Duluth – Superior Harbor and the St. Louis River estuary.

The Munger Landing access on Clyde Ave. in Duluth will be closed from summer 2022 through fall 2023 to facilitate project work, said MPCA.

Cleanup at Munger Landing will include dredging approximately 100,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment, disposing of the sediment at a certified landfill, covering the dredged area with clean sediment, and re-introducing vegetation.

Due to a long history of industrial pollution, the site is contaminated with lead, nickel, zinc, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and dioxins/furans. These pollutants have contributed to warnings about fish consumption in the area, as well as beach closings, potential harmful contact to humans, loss of fish and wildlife habitat, and harmful impacts to aquatic insects and vegetation in the environment.

Next steps include signing a Great Lakes Legacy Act project agreement with the U.S. EPA.

According to MPCA, remedial construction would start in the spring of 2022. The project will cost an estimated $32 million.