SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the completion of all dredging and habitat restoration projects required to remove the Sheboygan River "Area of Concern" from a list of toxic hot spots identified in the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, according to a press release.
"Thanks to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative — and our dedicated federal, state and local partners — we have finished cleaning up one of the most contaminated sites on the Great Lakes," said Susan Hedman, EPA Region 5 administrator and Great Lakes national program manager. "By working together, we have been able to complete all of the work needed to transform this beautiful Lake Michigan tributary from an area of concern to an area of recovery."
Over $80 million has been spent to dredge contaminated sediment and restore habitat in the Sheboygan River Area of Concern, noted the release.
The cleanup work was funded largely through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and by responsible parties through the EPA Superfund program.
The state of Wisconsin, the city of Sheboygan and Sheboygan County contributed approximately $5 million to the final phase of the river cleanup.
Read the entire press release here.
