PHOTO BY BOB WICK/BLM
Once one of the 43 most polluted areas on the Great Lakes, the Lower Menominee River in northeastern Wisconsin is no longer an area of concern, thanks to 30 years of efforts to restore the river.
For years, coal tar, paint sludge and arsenic were widespread pollutants in the waterway, which flows into Green Bay on Lake Michigan. Industrial regulations and river cleanup helped to restore the waterway, and habitat restoration projects were recently completed as well. Funding for the cleanup was provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
During its restoration, millions of pounds of contaminated sediment and hazardous waste and hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of contaminated sediment and coal tar were removed from the river.
To learn more, visit wisfarmer.com.
