Clean-up complete at Waukegan Harbor
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finally completed its clean-up of Waukegan Harbor, Illinois US, to remove it from the binational ‘Great Lakes Areas of Concern’ list.
Over the last 20 years and at a cost of around US$150m, the area has had PCB-contaminated sediment removed or capped, cleaning up the Outboard Marine Superfund Site and restoring the marine habitat to the area.
“For the first time in several decades, the harbor is no longer a toxic hazard or one of the most polluted areas on the Great Lakes,” US Senator Durbin said. “It’s an asset to the community, one that could contribute to economic development sorely needed in the area. The primarily federally-funded clean-up of PCB contamination has made Waukegan Harbor safer for community members and wildlife.”
Waukegan Harbor was one of 43 contaminated areas in the Great Lakes by the US and Canada under the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. For decades, the harbour was restricted by heavy contaminants that constrained commercial shipping and hindered our local tourism
During the clean-up, the city of Waukegan also worked with federal and state agencies to eliminate combined sewer overflows, to improve beaches and to create valuable dune and swale habitat.
Funding for the work was provided through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the EPA Superfund program and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
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