EPA Resumes Contaminated Sediment Cleanup in Detroit’s Lower Rouge River Old Channel
Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency resumed dredging contaminated sediment from the Lower Rouge River Old Channel in Detroit, Michigan. The dredging marks the final phase of an $84 million, multi-year project to clean up the highly industrialized federal navigation channel and improve water quality in the Rouge River Area of Concern.
Crews are resuming the effort to address more than 100,000 cubic yards of sediment contaminated with coal tar and petroleum products. Approximately 70,000 cubic yards of the contaminated sediment will be dredged and transported by barge to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed facility in Monroe, Michigan. The remaining approximate 35,000 cubic yards of sediment will be isolated by placing a cover (“cap”) over them to prevent the spread of contamination.
The project is funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and Honeywell Inc. through a cost-sharing agreement.
For more information on the project, please see EPA’s Rouge River AOC website.