Plans to clean up Howard's Bay in Superior’s North End are going to the public.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will host a public meeting on Tuesday, March 3 from 5-6:30 p.m. in Room 207C of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1313 Belknap St.
DNR officials plan to discuss where dredge sediment material from the Howard's Bay Remediation Project will be placed. City of Superior leaders asked that the closure plan for the Wisconsin Point Landfill be changed so dredged sediment could be placed on the shuttered landfill's final cover. The sediment will help the city address uneven settling at the site. The Wisconsin Point Landfill closed in 1977.
The cleanup efforts involve dredging in the bay to address lead, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), mercury and tributyltin. About 98% of the contamination is lead from ship paint and leaded gasoline.
Some of the dredged material will be taken to a contaminated area along Connors Point and will be capped. Some will go to Erie Pier, maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers, while the remainder will be placed at the Wisconsin Point Landfill — the city's contribution to the project.
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The project is a collaboration among Fraser Shipyards, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the DNR, the Army Corps of Engineers and the city.
Dredge that would be placed at the landfill would be adequate for residential and commercial uses, and vegetation would be maintained at the site to improve recreational use there.
Members of the public can comment on the plans and ask questions about the proposal. DNR staff and representatives from the City of Superior will provide a brief introduction and explanation of the project. DNR officials will consider all public comments received during the meeting in their decision on the proposal.
For more information about the meeting or the proposal, contact Sonny Zentner, waste management engineer, at 715-839-3728 or by email at Sonny.Zentner@Wisconsin.gov.
