EPA, Superior utility plan cleanup of 19th-century gas plant site in Superior Bay

Lake Superior is known for its sparkling and brilliant waters, but not all of it is pristine. Heavy industry dating back to the 19th century has left its mark on the area, with effects still seen today. One that will finally get a thorough cleanup is the C Street Slip in Superior Bay. “ What will be cleaned up is 23,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment. It contains legacy contaminants like mercury, PAHs, which are hydrocarbons — things that you do not want in your water,” said Anne Vogel, the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional administrator in Chicago. “We’ll be dredging the C Street Slip, going down about 15 feet in some places. We anticipate that work will start early in the summer of 2027 and be completed by the end of the year.” The project is the final phase of a $34 million agreement between the EPA and Superior Water, Light and Power, or SWLP. Vogel and Joscelyn Skandel of SWLP joined WPR’s Robin Washington on “Morning Edition” to talk about the joint effort, which is also being done in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Understanding Wisconsin, Together. WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” newsletter keeps you connected to the state you love without feeling overwhelmed. No paywall. No agenda. No corporate filter. Company This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Email Subscribe The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. RW: So before we get into what’s being cleaned up, tell us where it is. I think when I’m driving on C Street, it’s because I took a wrong turn. Joscelyn Skandel: The C Street Slip in Superior is located just to the east of Highway 2, almost right north of Barker’s Island. It’s between the Graymont (limestone products plant) and the viaduct that runs toward the Blatnik Bridge. RW: I think many of us are familiar with the Superfund site on the Minnesota side of the Bay, left over from the former Duluth U.S. Steel plant. Is this related to that? Anne Vogel: This was handled by a program that’s completely different from the Superfund program. It’s part of the St. Louis River Area of Concern. Areas of Concern were designated several decades ago to address contamination on the most contaminated parts of the Great Lakes. It’s handled on a voluntary, nonregulatory basis. We get funding from our congressional delegation in the Great Lakes, and then we’re able to find partners like Superior Water, Light and Power to put some money towards cleaning up this legacy contamination. RW: Why is Superior Water, Light and Power involved? JS: Our portion of this project dates back to 1889. From 1889 to 1904, we operated a manufactured gas plant, which is just up the shore from the C Street Slip. And the majority of the contamination of that project was remediated in 2023. RW: What exactly is manufactured gas? JS: That’s a great question. It’s really hard to describe because it’s not anything that we do anymore. But it was a (synthetic fuel) product that was utilized like gases today. I don’t have any more details about it. RW: This project brings to mind the cleanup of the Chicago River, where there was once a fantasy envisioning that office workers could go swimming or fishing during their lunch break. And it turned out to be true. Do you see the slip being a fishing spot or other recreation? JS: I think that what you’re going to find at this site is that it’s highly industrial. It sits right between where Graymont currently operates and the city of Superior’s wastewater treatment plant. There are dozens of semitrucks that come in and out of that area every single day. So I don’t think it’s going to be quite the same as what you’re thinking of. This is going to be more for the betterment of the entire St. Louis River and the bay there. It’s going to make the entire thing better to get rid of a lot of that contamination. RW: Are there any other spots in the bay that still need to be addressed beyond this? AV: After the completion of C Street Slip, there will be four additional projects that are in the design phase. And that will get us, believe it or not, to delisting of the St. Louis River Area of Concern. But we are several years from that. If you have an idea about something in northern Wisconsin you think we should talk about on “Morning Edition,” send it to us at [email protected]. Transcript Expand Collapse Transcript Terms of Use Transcripts are provided for accessibility and convenience and may be created using a mix of automated tools and human review. While we strive for accuracy, transcripts may contain errors or omissions and are provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. The audio version is the official record of WPR programming. All transcripts are owned by WPR and protected by U.S. and international copyright law. They are provided for personal, non-commercial use only. You may not reproduce, modify, distribute, or use transcripts for public or commercial purposes without prior written permission from WPR. For permissions, contact [email protected] . RW: And this is WPR News. I’m Robin Washington in Superior. In addition to its size, Lake Superior is known for its sparkling, brilliant waters. But that doesn’t mean all of it. Heavy (0:13) industry dating back to the 19th century has left its mark on the area, with effects still being (0:18) seen today. One of those areas that will finally get a thorough cleanup is the C Street Slip in (0:24) Superior Bay. The project is the final phase of a $34 million agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency and Superior Water, Light and Power. Joining me now to talk about it are EPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel in Chicago and Joscelyn Skandel of Superior Water, Light and Power. Welcome to Wisconsin Public Radio, Anne and Joscelyn. AV/JS: Thanks, Robin. Thanks, Robin. RW: So before we get into what’s being cleaned up, tell us where it is. I think when I’m driving on C Street is because I took a wrong turn. So Joscelyn, maybe you could give me the right directions. JS: Yeah, I can start. So the C Street Slip in Superior is located just to the east of Highway 2, almost right north of Barkers Island. It’s kind of between Greymont and the viaduct that runs (toward the Blatnik Bridge. I think I have been there and I don’t think I was lost. RW: And what exactly is being cleaned up and does some of it really date back 125 years, Anne? AV: It probably does. Yeah, Robin. So exactly what will be cleaned up is 23,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment. It’s hard to picture. Trust me, it’s a lot. It contains legacy contaminants like mercury, PAHs, which are hydrocarbons, things that you do not want in your water. So we will be, together with our partners, with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Superior Water, Light and Power, we’ll be dredging the C Street Slip, going down about 15 feet in some places. So getting out all the contaminated sediment. RW: I think many of us are familiar with the Superfund site on the Minnesota side of the Bay, left over from the former Duluth U.S. Steel plant. Is this related to that at all? AV: So this was handled by a program that’s completely different than the Superfund program. The St. Louis River Area of Concern is what this project is part of. And Areas of Concern were designated several decades ago to address contamination on the most contaminated parts of the Great Lakes. So the St. Louis River Area of Concern is the second largest in the Great Lakes area. So it’s handled kind of on a voluntary, non-regulatory basis, where we are able to come alongside. We get great funding from our congressional delegation in the Great Lakes. And then we’re able to find great partners like Superior Water, Light and Power to come alongside and put some money towards cleaning up this legacy contamination. RW: And that’s what I was about to ask you, Joscelyn. How or why is Superior Water, Light and Power involved? JS: Ou