U.S. announces plan to clean up St. Mary's River sediment

NEWS RELEASE

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION 5

********************* Tannery Bay/ St. Mary's River receives $8 million for cleanup CHICAGO, July 13 - The Great Lakes Legacy Act will help fund an $8 million cleanup of Tannery Bay on St. Mary's River near Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Phelps Dodge Corp. will dredge 40,000 cubic yards of sediment contaminated with mercury and chromium from the bay and Tannery Point wetland.

Work will begin this month and is expected to be completed in late fall. "The rivers that feed into the Great Lakes serve as the arteries of this international treasure. And thanks to President Bush's Great Lakes Legacy Act, every drop of water that flows from Tannery Bay and through St. Mary's River will be a healthier lifeblood to Lake Huron," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "Working with our partners, EPA is committed to improving this community asset - enhancing its environmental, recreational and economic values."

The Great Lakes Legacy Act will fund $4.8 million of the cost of the project and Phelps Dodge, which owns a former tannery property next to the bay, will contribute $2.6 million.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, through the state's Clean Michigan Initiative, will provide $600,000.

It is the fifth project funded by the Great Lakes Legacy Act, which President Bush signed in 2002 to address the problem of contaminated sediment in 31 toxic hot spots known as "areas of concern" around the Great Lakes.

The Legacy Act strives to streamline the cleanup process while emphasizing collaboration among governments and community groups.

Removing the sediment will improve environmental conditions in St. Marys River, the connecting channel between Lakes Superior and Huron.

The primary source of the pollution was the former Cannelton Industries tannery.

The tannery site was cleaned up under EPA's Superfund program in 1999.

Contaminated sediment is a problem in rivers and harbors throughout the Great Lakes.

It is a reason why many fish in the lakes are not safe to eat in unlimited quantities, harms aquatic life, degrades habitat and affects the quality of sources of drinking water.

An information meeting about the dredging project has been scheduled for Monday, July 31, from 7 to 9 p.m., at Lake Superior State University's Cisler Student and Conference Center, 650 W. Easterday Ave., Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. EPA, company and state officials will explain the work and how it will affect local residents.

For more information about this cleanup go to: http://www.epa.gov/glla/tannery

****************** BACKGROUNDER

Tannery Bay dredging will remove pollution

Tannery Bay Legacy Act Site/ St. Marys River Area of Concern Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Phelps Dodge Corp. along with the state of Michigan will share the costs of an $8 million cleanup project on Tannery Bay, a polluted bay west of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

Chromium and mercury from a former tannery polluted the bay, which is on St. Mary's River, the connecting channel between lakes Superior and Huron.

St. Mary's River is a joint U.S.-Canadian "area of concern," which marks the region for special environmental attention.

Dredging on Tannery Bay should begin in August and be completed late this fall.

The project is being paid for by using $4.8 million in federal Great Lakes Legacy Act funds.

Phelps Dodge, which owns the former Cannelton Industries tannery property, will contribute $2.6 million.

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, through the state's Clean Michigan Initiative, will provide $600,000 in funding.

The pollution is mainly byproducts from the Northwestern Leather Co. tannery that operated from 1900 to 1958.

When the tannery was operating, waste was dumped into ditches and flowed into the bay where it settled in the mud (sediment).

To give a better picture of the size of the project, the 40,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment that will be removed from the bay and nearby wetland would cover an area the size of a football field to a height of 24 feet.

The dredging will remove 500,000 pounds of chromium and 25 pounds of mercury from the bay and wetland on Tannery Point.

The sediment will be dredged and barged to a staging area about three miles east of the site.

There, water will be drained from the sludge and sent to a municipal water treatment facility.

Remaining material will be disposed of in the nearby Dafter Landfill.

After sediment removal, the shoreline will be restored and replanted with native plants.

The former tannery site itself was cleaned up under EPA's Superfund program in 1999.

Contaminated soil and tannery waste were disposed of in the Dafter Landfill, and a shoreline rock barrier was installed to keep any remaining waste from eroding into the bay.

The Tannery Bay cleanup plan called for allowing clean silt from St. Mary's River to gradually cover the contaminated sediment in the bay while environmental monitoring would be performed indefinitely to make sure the process was working.

In the early 2000s, Phelps Dodge bought another mining company's properties, which included the tannery site.

After the purchase, Phelps Dodge—along with public entities including the city of Sault Ste. Marie, the U.S.-Canada Binational Public Advisory Council and the state of Michigan—expressed a preference for sediment removal instead of waiting for natural recovery.

Removing the sediment will improve environmental conditions in St. Mary's River.

Meeting scheduled

You are invited to attend an informational meeting Monday, July 31, 7–9 p.m., at Lake Superior State University's Cisler Student and Conference Center, 650 W. Easterday Ave., Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., to hear details of the Tannery Bay project and ask questions.

EPA, company and state officials will be on hand to explain the work and how it will affect local residents.

For special accommodations at the meeting contact Don de Blasio at EPA.

If you have questions about the meeting or the project contact any of these representatives:

Marc Tuchman Project Manager EPA Great Lakes National Program Office (312) 353-1369 [email protected]

Don de Blasio Community Involvement Coordinator EPA Region 5 (312) 886-4360 [email protected]

Stephanie Linebaugh Environmental Engineer EPA Region 5 (312) 353-2315 [email protected]

Address for EPA Region 5 staff: EPA Region 5 77 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604 toll-free: (800) 621-8431, weekdays 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Dan Johnson Phelps Dodge Corp. (602) 366-8567 [email protected]

Bruce VanOtteren State of Michigan (517) 373-8427 [email protected]

To learn more about the Great Lakes Legacy Act and the other cleanup projects funded by the statute please visit: epa.gov/glla/

*********************