Cleaning Up an Important Community Resource—The St. Louis River Area of Concern

The St. Louis River is known as an “Area of Concern” (AOC)–one of 43 such areas identified by the United States and Canada in the mid-1980s as the most environmentally degraded areas in the Great Lakes region. These sites contain high levels of cancer-causing and health-threatening pollution, such as PCB’s, mercury, and other chemicals, that have poisoned the water and led to drinking water restrictions, fish consumption advisories, and beach closures. To date, six sites have been remediated, with another 22 estimated to be completed by 2030 as a result of a funding influx from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The St. Louis River AOC crossing through Duluth, Minnesota is one such site.

To learn more about the importance of this AOC cleanup work in this area of the river—Munger Landing—we spoke to Mike Casey, a local advocate with the Friends of Western Duluth Parks and Trails and the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad.

A Legacy of Contamination Met with Cleanup

Munger Landing is a picturesque area of the St. Louis River close to Spirit Lake. Surrounded by trees and full of fish and other wildlife, it’s a beloved area to the local community. Though beautiful, once you get a closer look, the water tells a different story. As is the case with many waters throughout the Great Lakes region, Munger Landing has an industrial past and sits close to the U.S. Steel Superfund site—an abandoned hazardous waste site that operated pig iron, coking, and coal gasification from the 1890s until 1962. A steel mill was also located in the area from 1916 to 1981. Despite industry having moved on, the legacy of contamination remains. Casey, who has lived in the area since 1995, spoke of “no swimming” and “fish advisory” signs often being the norm in the area due to contaminated soil and underwater sediments with hazardous chemicals.

Cleanup by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has been in process for many years, but has kicked into high gear as a result of a $1 billion investment into Areas of Concern from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The project is now on a tight two-year timeline as part of the larger effort to delist the St. Louis River Area of Concern by 2030. According to a September 2022 update from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, “The [Munger Landing] Project includes the dredging and off-site disposal of approximately 100,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediments across 38 acres. The Project will also restore 8 acres of aquatic habitat and include replacement of the motorized boat landing. The City of Duluth has plans for additional recreational improvements to the site upon completion of this project, including a fully accessible paddle launch dock and other amenities.”

A Community Resource

According to Casey, “The river has a community of its own.” Paddlers go by on their canoes and kayaks, enjoying the scenery around them; kids ride in on their bikes to jump off the dock on hot days, often with their dogs happily joining in; and anglers, both young and old, patiently wait for a bite or two.

Munger Landing is easier to get to compared to other river access points in the city; it’s close to a bus line and the St. Louis River estuary also crosses with a train line dear to Casey’s heart—the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad—and he hopes to see it provide access to the river for many years to come.

Overall, Casey hopes that the cleanup helps to dispel much of the stigma that surrounds western Duluth, stating that it’s beautiful and good place to live. However, he also made the caveat that if more people come to the area, whether to live or to visit, it needs to be respected so that past mistakes that have led to pollution and environmental harm are not repeated.

Input into the Project

According to Casey, community consultation on the Munger Landing cleanup has had its ups and downs. In some cases, early on, local neighborhoods were left out of the process, instead relying on the city staff’s input. Though as Casey notes, it’s the locals that have the most knowledge in terms of how the area is used and what’s needed to not only clean up the area, but to also increase its functionality and accessibility. Casey stated that local groups have since been invited to provide input on cleanup efforts, as well as kept up-to-date on progress.

Federal Action

Federal funding from programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has made projects like the cleanup of Munger Landing possible. And these cleanups have a multitude of positive impacts, from reversing ecological harms to restoring community resources and assuaging public health concerns. Casey also mentioned the economic importance of this work—especially for local people from disenfranchised communities—seeing this as an opportunity to build their skills and bring them into the growing field of environmental work.

Cleanup of Munger Landing is set to be completed in 2024. Though it is only one part of the larger St. Louis River Area of Concern, it will be great to see this piece completed and for the community to know that they can once again access this part of the river without fear for their health and safety. Casey will likely see more paddlers, anglers, and swimmers than ever before.