Aesthetics Impairment Lifted In Lower Green Bay And Fox River Area Of Concern
 People gather to exercise on the CityDeck in downtown Green Bay along the Fox River. CityDeck is a nationally recognized public resource that provides the community a place to gather along the waterfront. / Photo Credit: City of Green Bay.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has lifted the Degradation of Aesthetics Beneficial Use Impairment from the Lower Green Bay and Fox River Area of Concern.
This announcement follows the recent acknowledgment by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the targets set for this impairment by the DNR have been achieved, recognizing the improving environmental conditions in the area.
To learn more about the decision to lift this impairment, view the Removal Recommendation for the Degradation of Aesthetics Beneficial Use Impairment here.
About The Lower Green Bay And Fox River Area Of Concern
After the Lower Green Bay and Fox River were listed as an Area of Concern in 1987, the Remedial Action Plan identified Degradation of Aesthetics as one of thirteen environmental problems, called beneficial use impairments in the Area of Concern program.
The DNR included degraded aesthetics among the impairments due to total suspended solids and algal blooms which caused frequent unnatural color and turbidity in the river and bay. This limited recreational use and diminished scenic value of the waters within the Area of Concern boundary. Additional factors included unpleasant smells attributed to rotting algal material and emissions from power generating facilities, industries and wastewater treatment plants, zebra mussel shell piles along the shoreline, and limited shoreline access and public space along the Fox River.
To date, several regulations, policies and collaborative efforts have been implemented to reduce point source pollution from industrial and urban sources. The passage of the federal Clean Water Act and subsequent amendments allowed the State of Wisconsin to regulate pollutant discharge to all state waters, including oxygen-consuming compounds, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and other toxic chemicals that plagued the Fox River and Bay of Green Bay in the past.
Watershed management plans have been established for the Lower Fox River Basin to reduce sources of phosphorus and sediment pollution in runoff and improve water quality in the river and bay. Work is underway to implement the Lower Fox River Basin Total Maximum Daily Load to meet water quality standards and provide meaningful water quality improvements by reducing total phosphorus and sediment runoff flowing into the Fox River and Bay of Green Bay.
Additionally, several other local efforts to improve the waterfront have been in place for decades, including remediation of contaminated sediment, more thoughtful shoreline redevelopment, increases in public green space, recreational opportunities, and restoration of fish and wildlife habitats.
Partners in the Area of Concern conducted an aesthetics monitoring program over several years to collect water quality data and gauge public perceptions of aesthetic values through surveys. Results showed that the aesthetics in the Area of Concern have improved.
A team of technical experts and agency partners agreed that the targets outlined in the Remedial Action Plan had been met, so the DNR removed the impairment. Documentation of this decision is available here.
This is the third impairment removed for this Area of Concern. Once all impairments meet their targets and are removed, the Lower Green Bay and Fox River can be removed from the list of most polluted sites on the Great Lakes.
The Lower Green Bay and Fox River were designated as one of 43 sites on the Great Lakes with significant environmental damage by the United States and Canada under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding, first authorized in 2010, helps communities clean up pollution in Areas of Concern and restore waterways.
|
