Shipyard plans cleanup of Howard’s Pocket

Fraser Shipyard is in the planning stages for an environmental cleanup of Howard’s Bay.

The cleanup goes hand-in-hand with ongoing projects to update and improve the shipyard facility through a three-phase dock project.

“This was a heavy industrial area over the years, said Jason Serck, economic development, port and planning director.

With the help of federal funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, Fraser Shipyards is working with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to develop a plan clean up a legacy of contamination.

During the Hog Island clean up, Serck said the city played a significant role in the disposal of sediment, and the city could again play a role in taking some of the sediment from Howard’s Pocket.

The city could again be tapped to take some of the sediment, Serck told the City Council on Tuesday night. “It won’t be all of it … but we’ve been asked to look at some options for disposal,” he said.

“The St. Louis Bay, Howard’s Bay is part of a larger Area of Concern, which has been … 20 years in clean up,” said Tom Curelli, operations manager for Fraser Shipyard. “It’s not extraordinarily glowing at night, but it is an area of concern.”

Curelli said the goal is to get rid of the encumbrances that are there in the water and mitigate contaminants discovered through testing - lead and tributyltin, a biocide used to prevent the growth of marine organism on the hulls of large ships.

“It’s not the worst thing - it’s not glowing in the dark,” Curelli said. “It’s not hurting the habitat. It’s not a chronic thing, but it does need to be cleaned up … it’s got to be addressed and we got to get it done now.”

Curelli said the planning for the project is expected to take about a year.

Just doing the initial phase is going to cost about $710,000, $450,000 of which will be paid for by federal legacy dollars, Curelli said. The Wisconsin DNR and Fraser are responsible for the remaining 35 percent of the cost.

Serck said if the council approves being involved in the proposal, the city’s contribution would be in-kind rather than a monetary contribution. Sediment suitable for the landfill could be used for cover, he said.

Curelli said the shipyard will provide additional information before asking the council to help with the project.

“We’re not asking for funding,” Curelli said. “We’re asking for in-kind contributions. Moccasin Mike [landfill] perhaps or something else, but it’s not going to be a budgetary item.”