CHICAGO — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an additional $3.5 million is available for work in the Spirit Lake portion of the St. Louis River Area of Concern on Lake Superior near Duluth, Minnesota, according to a press release.
Through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), EPA will provide $2.275 million and U.S. Steel will supply $1.225 million to study options for cleaning up contaminated sediment in Spirit Lake, stated the release.
The funding will also cover the design costs for the cleanup option that is selected, and construction and cleanup work in Spirit Lake is forecast to begin in late 2016, reported the release.
“During the past five years, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding has been used to accelerate work in ‘Areas of Concern’ throughout the Great Lakes Basin — and to complete all required cleanup work in six Areas of Concern,” informed the release.
Under the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the U.S. and Canada designated 43 Areas of Concern in an effort to target sites contaminated primarily by industrial activity that occurred before the enactment of modern environmental laws, noted the release.
Read the entire release here.
