U.S. EPA Region 5 - Fox River

I am personally attached to The Fox River Superfund site. Seeing that I spent four years in De Pere, Wisconsin, I witnessed the efforts of the authorities to clean this river, which was highly significant to the local community.


The river portion of the site extends from Lake Winnebago outlet and continues downstream to the mouth of the river in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The site also includes all of Green Bay, from the city of Green Bay to the point where the bay enters Lake Michigan. The entire site is divided into five operable units (OU), for the purpose of analyzing and implementing remedial actions on the basis of similar features and characteristics (e.g. physical and geographical characteristics).


This river is on the NPL because it is contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCB is hazardous substance and probable human carcinogen. The river sediment contains around 51,000 pounds of PCB's, and Grenn Bay sediment has additional 154,000 pounds of this substance. The Fox River was previously a traditional spot for fishing and recreation, and since fish in this waters contains PCB, people in this area may suffer adverse health effects. Due to such situation, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) issued fish consumption advisory in 1976 and State of Michigan did the same the following year.

This project has been the largest sediment cleanup ever, and so far it has been successful. The level of PCB's is lower than it was before the clean up started, and if the trend continues, the fish advisories may be relaxed soon. The results are visible on every step: there has been an increase in fishing boats and people finally started to enjoy the river daily. The estimated cost of the project is $400 million, and the expected year of completion is 2017.

B.T.