Issue #97, 10 January 2003
DNR issues Fox River clean-up Record of Decision
The Record of Decision (ROD) on the plan for cleaning up polychlorinated biphenyl contaminated sediment from a 26-mile portion of the Lower Fox River in the US was released to the public on 06 January by the Department of Natural Resources and the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The ROD represents the final decision by the DNR and EPA on the remedial plan for sediment cleanup of two sections of the Fox River from Little Lake Butte des Morts to Little Rapids. The river sections covered by this ROD are designated as Operable Units1 and 2. These reaches represent approximately 26 miles of the 39-mile distance between Lake Winnebago and the mouth of the Lower Fox River at Green Bay.
A decision for OU-3, from Little Rapids to De Pere, OU-4, from De Pere to Green Bay and OU-5, Green Bay is scheduled to be completed by June of this year.
Both the DNR and EPA say they believe dredging OU-1 and the monitored natural recovery for OU-2 will be effective. The signing of the record of decision
means that DNR and EPA have worked through a range of choices and combinations of options to reach atechnical decision to clean up OU-1 and OU-2.
The ROD does, however, provide for flexibility and allows for modifications to the remedy for OU-1. During the design phase of this project, more detailed, site-specific information will be collected. Depending on the information collected, the agenciesmay consider changes to the scope and design of the remedy that could affect the amount of dredging to be done or other potential techniques.
Engineers estimate that OU-1, the Little Lake Butte des Morts section, contains approximately 4,100 pounds of PCBs in 2,200,400 cubic yards of sediment.
The ROD calls for hydraulic dredging to remove of 784,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from this reach. The dredged material will be treated, dewatered, and taken to an engineered landfill for permanent disposal. The plan specifications call forremoval of any sediment found in OU-1 with a PCB
concentration of 1 part per million or more.
When the cleanup is complete, average PCB concentrations in OU-1 will not exceed 0.25 parts per million. The estimated cost of cleanup of the Little Lake Butte des Morts section is $66.2 million.
The section known as OU-2, from Appleton to Little Rapids, contains approximately 240 pounds of PCBs in 339,200 cubic yards of sediment. DNR and EPA have agreed to a monitored natural recovery as the remedy for this section. This remedy relies on naturalprocesses to break down, dilute, or bury the PCBs, and on a program designed to monitor the levels of PCBs in the sediment.
A significant portion of the PCBs originally contained in this reach has already been removed through the $3.9 million demonstration project at Deposit N in 1998 and 1999. As a result, no significant deposits of contaminated sediment with concentrationsof PCBs above 1 part per million remain in this stretch of the Fox River. The estimated cost for recovery and monitoring OU-2
from Appleton to Little Rapids is $9.9 million.
DNR Secretary Scott Hassett noted: "I consider cleaning up the Fox River to be one of the top three priorities for the DNR right now. It's important we get started on the actual cleanup now and in a way that enhances the environment for the people of ourstate. I am confident this decision opens the way for us to do just that."
Tom Skinner, EPA Region 5 Administrator, stated: "By issuing this ROD for only Operable Units 1 and 2, we have taken a phased approach to the remedial work. Thus, work on the upstream areas can already be underway when the downstream areas start, which is EPA's national approach to river sediment cleanups."
PCBs were discharged into the Lower Fox River during the manufacturing and recycling of carbonless copy paper, primarily between 1954 and 1971.
Removal of contaminated sediment will result in reduce risks from PCBs in fish tissue to levels protective of human health and the environment and help DNR and
EPA reach their stated goal for the removal of all fish consumption advisories for the river and the bay of Green Bay.
The Administrative Record file for the Lower Fox River and Green Bay, including the ROD and all documents that formed the basis for the DNR/EPA's selection, is available for public review at:Wisconsin DNR, RR/3, 101 S Webster St, Madison, WI 53707.
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