Spirit Lake Great Lakes Legacy Act Cleanup
On this page:
Cleanup Status and Progress
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2022 Progress
Completed dredging, capping and enhanced natural recovery
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2023 Activities
Activities planned for 2023.
EPA and the United States Steel Corporation have entered a partnership to clean up impacted sediment and soil within the Spirit Lake area of the St. Louis River in Duluth, Minnesota. This work is being conducted as part of the Great Lakes Legacy Act project agreement between EPA and U.S. Steel. The site is located within the St. Louis River Area of Concern and is south of the Morgan Park neighborhood in Duluth. The site has in-water cleanup areas which include Spirit Lake, Unnamed Creek, and Wire Mill Pond as well as onshore clean up areas.
The purpose of the project is to address chemical constituents of concern, primarily polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, and associated heavy metals including lead, copper and zinc in the Spirit Lake area. The large environmental cleanup includes dredging, capping and monitoring impacted sediment. The cleanup will support the eventual delisting of the St. Louis River AOC and will result in benefits to people and the ecological system. The cleanup operations began in October 2020. They are being performed by contractors to EPA and U.S. Steel.
Documents
- Biden Administration and EPA Announce $113M to fund Great Lakes Restoration Projects near Duluth, Minnesota
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Spirit Lake Project Update: May 19, 2022 Public Meeting (pdf)
Photo Galleries
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Pile driving has been completed for the new Unnamed Creek railroad bridge.
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Aerial view of the Unnamed Creek corridor, Delta Upland Cap, and Shallow Sheltered Bay.
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Installation of the Turf Reinforcement Mats on the upland slopes of Wire Mill Pond has been completed.
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Overview of Shallow Sheltered Bay and the completed clay cap on the Upland Confined Disposal Facility.
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Placing the clay cap over the Confined Disposal Facility area.
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Logs for erosion control continue to be placed in the water near the shoreline of the Shallow Sheltered Bay.
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Erosion control straw matting is placed on the shoreline of the Shallow Sheltered Bay to protect the soil and seeded areas.
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Turf Reinforcement Mats (TRMs) are placed along the upland slopes of Wire Mill Pond. The mats help to reduce erosion while providing a stable environment for vegetation growth.
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A segment of the pedestrian trail is constructed along the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad near Falcon Street in the Morgan Park neighborhood.
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Connected timber logs are installed along the shoreline of the Shallow Sheltered Bay. The logs provide shelter to the soft shoreline and reduce the erosion potential in these areas.
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Seeding on the Delta Upland Cap is complete and construction of recreational features on the cap is underway.
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Construction of the pedestrian trail is underway adjacent to the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad.
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Capping in the Upland Confined Disposal Facility near the relocated Unnamed Creek channel continues.
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Capping operations continue in the Shallow Sheltered Bay.
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Rock is placed along the shoreline of the North Dredge Area with hi-rail equipment to protect the area against erosion.
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Capping continues over the Geotubes® in the Upland CDF.
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Overview of the completed capping operations in Wire Mill Pond. The center and northern pond areas will be reconnected to the St. Louis River once all major operations in the area are complete and will be restored as emergent wetland.
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Newly dispersed upland plant seeds are protected by fiber matting along the Delta Upland Cap.
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Gravel is placed along the Delta Upland Cap to create part of the pedestrian walking trail .
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A cap is placed over the graded surface in the southern portion of the Wire Mill Pond.
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The clay cap is placed over the subgrade in the Upland Confined Disposal Facility (CDF).
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A cap is placed over the OU-J Confined Disposal Facility (CDF), located in the upstream Unnamed Creek area of the site.
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Capping continues in the Shallow Sheltered Bay (SSB).
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A Reactive Core Mat (RCM) is placed as part of the underwater cap in Wire Mill Pond. The RCM is laid out in sections over the sediment surface and contains materials to treat residual impacts in the sediment.
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A hi-rail dump truck transports shoreline protection material along the Shallow Sheltered Bay (SSB) and North Dredge Area shorelines.
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Dredged material from the sediment processing area (SPA) is placed around and on top of the Geotubes® in the Upland Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) to create the final subgrade prior to capping the CDF.
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A hi-rail excavator moves along the railroad in the North Dredge Area to complete critical shoreline protection activities.
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Grading and cover placement is performed along the spit of land adjacent to the Shallow Sheltered Bay (SSB). The spit of land will support part of the recreational trail and other features designed in coordination with the City of Duluth.
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Grading is performed along the spit of land adjacent to the Delta Upland Cap. The spit will support planned recreational features.
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Capping in the Shallow Sheltered Bay and construction of the Delta Upland Cap continues.
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Rock continues to be placed along the Wire Mill Delta shoreline for erosion protection.
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Clean cap material is placed near the shoreline of the Shallow Sheltered Bay.
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Material placement and grading continues in the OU-J Confined Disposal Facility.
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A section of shoreline protection is completed along the Wire Mill Delta.
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A thin layer of clean sand (dredge residual cover) is placed over the dredged sediment surface in the North Dredge Area.
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High strength fabric is placed as part of Delta Upland cap construction.
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A section of shoreline protection is completed along the Wire Mill Delta.
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A thin layer of clean sand (dredge residual cover) is placed over the dredged sediment surface in the North Dredge Area.
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High strength fabric is placed as part of Delta Upland cap construction.
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Rock is placed along the shoreline of the Wire Mill Delta for erosion protection.
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Construction of the Delta Upland Cap and cap placement in the Shallow Sheltered Bay continue.
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Capping of the OU-J Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) continues.
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Construction of Wire Mill Delta shoreline protection is underway.
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Stabilization stone installation in the Shallow Sheltered Bay Spit area.
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Construction of Wire Mill Delta shoreline protection is underway.
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Capping continues in the Shallow Sheltered Bay.
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A clay cap is placed over the dredged material in the OU-J Confined Disposal Facility.
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Subgrade is installed on the Delta Upland Cap area.
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Capping continues in the Shallow Sheltered Bay.
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A clay cap is placed over the dredged material in the OU-J Confined Disposal Facility.
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Subgrade is installed on the Delta Upland Cap area.
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Capping continues in the Unnamed Creek Offshore area.
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Hydraulic and mechanical dredging occurring in the Shallow Sheltered Bay. Hydraulic dredging operations in this area are now complete.
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Gravel material for the remedial cap root barrier is placed on the capping conveyor. The root barrier will be placed in portions of the Shallow Sheltered Bay and offshore areas.
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Grading continues in Wire Mill Pond to prepare for remedial cap placement.
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Stockpiled material from winter operations is placed in the OU-J Confined Disposal Facility (CDF).
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Gravel material for the remedial cap root barrier is placed on the capping conveyor. The root barrier will be placed in portions of the Shallow Sheltered Bay and offshore areas.
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Grading continues in Wire Mill Pond to prepare for remedial cap placement.
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Stockpiled material from winter operations is placed in the OU-J Confined Disposal Facility (CDF).
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Pile driving has been completed for the new Unnamed Creek railroad bridge.
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Aerial view of the Unnamed Creek corridor, Delta Upland Cap, and Shallow Sheltered Bay.
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Pile driving has been completed for the new Unnamed Creek railroad bridge.
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Aerial view of the Unnamed Creek corridor, Delta Upland Cap, and Shallow Sheltered Bay.