EPA, MPCA and Partners Celebrate Completion of St. Louis River Cleanup Projects in Minnesota
CHICAGO (May 27, 2026) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Anne Vogel, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Deputy Commissioner Peter Tester, and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Sarah Strommen joined federal, state, Tribal, and local partners at Thomson Reservoir in Carlton, Minnesota, to celebrate the completion of all sediment cleanup projects on the Minnesota side of the St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC).
In 2018, EPA and partners began sediment cleanup efforts in Minnesota with the removal of 37,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from Minnesota Slip in Duluth. EPA recently completed a $30.5 million project to address 225,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment in Thomson Reservoir, the last of eight sediment cleanups in the state.
“As the largest tributary to Lake Superior, a protected and restored St. Louis River will deliver benefits in communities, ecosystems and economies near and far,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator and Great Lakes National Program Manager Anne Vogel. “EPA is committed to continuing to work with our partners to revitalize this magnificent watershed and create a new legacy for generations to come.”
"Following a century of habitat loss and industrial pollution, the MPCA and our partners developed a plan to restore the St. Louis River Area of Concern for the ecological and economic benefit of Minnesotans for generations to come," said MPCA Deputy Commissioner Peter Tester. “The St. Louis River is being restored because of what can happen when governments, Tribal nations, local communities, nonprofits, industry, and residents work together toward a shared goal.”
“Restoring the St. Louis River Estuary revitalizes one of the most important natural gateways to our treasured Great Lakes, ensuring that this area will be a thriving environment for fish, wildlife, and people for generations to come,” said Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Sarah Strommen. “Minnesota DNR is grateful for the long-standing, coordinated efforts of federal, state, local, and Tribal partners, which were critical to securing historic investment and achieving transformational environmental success.”
“Once again, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has proven to be a vital investment in the health and future of the Great Lakes and their tributaries,” said U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber. “I’m proud to celebrate the successful completion of the sediment remediation projects in the St. Louis Area of Concern, a major milestone in restoring a natural resource that is vital to our way of life in Northern Minnesota. I want to applaud EPA Region 5 Administrator Vogel for her leadership throughout this effort, as well as the strong collaboration among our federal, state, and local partners who helped bring this massive undertaking across the finish line. Their commitment and partnership made this achievement possible.”
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been honored to support the USEPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office and our many regional partners while implementing numerous projects to transform the St. Louis River AOC from its legacy past to its newly envisioned future,” said Lt. Col. Wallace W. Bandeff, Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District. “Completing work in such a large, complex area can only be accomplished through sustained, collaborative effort at all levels – federal, state and local – for many years. The significant progress made throughout this AOC is a testament to strong partnerships and reflects the importance of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.”
"The St. Louis River Alliance is excited to be witnessing the transformation of the St. Louis River after decades of neglect and mistreatment. We are honored and grateful to have been able to harness the power of the community to secure state bonding dollars that triggered the federal match totaling $73 Million that has funded the contaminated sediment clean-up,” said St. Louis River Alliance Executive Director Kris Eilers. “The extraordinary collaborations and work between concerned citizens, Tribal partners, agencies, local government, and organizations over the years has led to one of the greatest successes of our times, and has sparked economic vitality, and more importantly, the ability to connect people back to the river and re-kindle our commitment to love and protect it for future generations. Of course, we are ever grateful for the funding of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that has fueled this transformation.”
Across the AOC, project partners have done the following:
- Addressed more than 1.9 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment.
- Completed 17 habitat projects, restoring more than 1,000 acres of habitat.
- Seeded over 80,000 pounds of manoomin (wild rice).
EPA provided $250 million of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding, including $187 million under the Great Lakes Legacy Act cost-share authority. These investments leveraged an additional $208 million from state, local, and industrial partners through in-kind and cash contributions.
Encompassing a 1,020 square-mile area on the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin, the St. Louis River is the second-largest AOC in the United States. Historical industrial use of the river—before the onset of modern pollution laws—resulted in sediments contaminated with mercury, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other toxins. The St. Louis River is vital to the regional economy and encompasses the Port of Duluth-Superior—an essential port for Great Lakes shipping. The watershed includes important fish-spawning habitat and Spirit Lake, a site with cultural and spiritual significance to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
The St. Louis River was designated as an Area of Concern in 1987 under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The different kinds of significant environmental degradation at AOCs are officially known as “beneficial use impairments” (BUIs). As cleanup work is completed and monitoring demonstrates sufficient environmental improvements, these designations can be removed. Four of the nine BUIs originally placed on the St. Louis River AOC have been removed.
Once all BUIs are removed, the process of delisting the AOC can begin. Eight AOCs of the 31 AOCs in the United States have been delisted.
More information is available at the St. Louis River Area of Concern website.
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