Final 2024 Remedial Action Plan For St. Louis River Area Of Concern Now Available
 People pulling up fencing from a restored manoomin (wild rice) bed in Allouez Bay. Fencing protected the plants from being eaten before they could become established. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
The 2024 St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC) Remedial Action Plan Update has been finalized and is now available on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)'s St. Louis River AOC webpage.
The 2024 Remedial Action Plan Update describes the status of all its listed management actions, including pollution cleanup and habitat restoration progress over the last year.
Nine environmental problems, called Beneficial Use Impairments, were identified for the St. Louis River AOC, along with management actions to address each problem. Removal targets are specific goals and objectives for each impairment, including measurable indicators to track the results of pollution cleanup and fish and wildlife habitat restoration efforts. Four impairments have been removed so far. After the remaining five impairments are removed, the St. Louis River AOC can be removed from the list of most polluted sites on the Great Lakes.
The St. Louis River AOC was listed as one of 43 sites on the Great Lakes with significant environmental damage by the United States and Canada in 1987. Federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding, first launched in 2010, helps communities clean up pollution and restore waterways.
The four coordinating agencies that work together to publish the annual Remedial Action Plan are:
For more information, contact Matt Steiger, DNR St. Louis River AOC coordinator, at Matthew.Steiger@wisconsin.gov or 715-559-9523.
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