US EPA to clean up contaminated sediment in Detroit River under US$2.9 million project

Detroit River (Photo: Michigan.gov)

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has entered into an agreement to remediate contaminated sediment along the Detroit River in Detroit, Michigan.

The contaminated sediment is within the Detroit River Area of Concern (AOC), identified by the United States and Canada as one of 43 toxic hotspots in the Great Lakes basin. Work will be funded through a Great Lakes Legacy Act cost-sharing partnership with the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.

The project will remediate approximately 10,000 cubic metres of contaminated sediments located along the Detroit River just downstream of the MacArthur Bridge that leads to Belle Isle.

EPA will isolate and stabilise the contaminated sediment with a “cap” made of clean material. The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy will cover the sediment cap with stone rip rap, which will stabilise an aging seawall and provide geophysical support for the riverwalk.

The conservancy has agreed to contribute up to 35 per cent of the total project cost of US$2.9 million.

Construction is slated to begin this summer.

The project is part of the larger effort to restore and protect the Great Lakes through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI).


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