FOX RIVER
Spring 2007
Vol. 10, No. 1
Update from the Lower Fox River Intergovernmental Partnership
Public Comments Pour In to EPA, DNR
By Susan Pastor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Approximately 600 comments concerning proposed
changes to the 2003 cleanup decision for certain sec-
tions of the Lower Fox River/Green Bay site were
submitted to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Written comments came in the form of postal mail,
Internet and fax during the 60-day comment period
from Nov. 13, 2006 to Jan. 11, 2007. In addition, sev-
eral comments were read into the public record during
a Dec. 5, 2006 public meeting held by EPA and DNR.
Over 300 people attended the three-hour
meeting held at the Brown County Library
in Green Bay.
Positive and negative feedback was sent
by area residents, environmental groups,
educators, elected officials, and businesses.
While many people took advantage of hard
copy and online forms to provide their
input, others used handwritten stationary,
letterhead, petitions and postcards to express
their views.
Although most of the comments lodged
were clearly for or against the proposed
changes, some people offered helpful sug-
gestions which may be incorporated into the
final decision document later this year, ac-
cording to EPA Remedial Project Manager
Jim Hahnenberg. "Several modifications
may be made to our recommended changes based on
public comments," he said.
EPA and DNR proposed changes that would com-
bine capping with dredging in areas of the river from
Appleton to Green Bay. This plan would separate the
site into much smaller areas to allow the cleanup to
be customized to meet special conditions in each area.
Under this plan, the cleanup would be done faster and
would make better use of limited landfill space.
See Public Comments, Page 6
EPA Remedial Project Manager Jim Hahnenberg reviews hundreds of public
comments concerning proposed changes to the 2003 cleanup decision.
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Spring 2007
FOX RIVER CURRENT
Shipwreck Identified in Recent Study
By Susan Pastor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
A shipwreck at the bottom of the Lower Fox River
was spotted in a recent archaeological review near the
area set for dredging this spring.
The steamship named the City of Stiles in 1881 was
found within a mile of the project area along the west-
ern side of the river northwest of the DePere Dam.
Although the ship is near the area to be dredged, it is
not expected to interfere with this summer's cleanup.
If it appears to be in the way as work progresses, a
plan to go around it would have to be developed.
"Our first choice is always to avoid the area entirely,
but right now it looks like we can proceed with our
dredging operation," said EPA Remedial Project Man-
ager Jim Hahnenberg. "If the ship did turn out to be a
problem for us, we would probably have to find a way
to move it or bring it up."
The ship, originally christened the L.P Sheldon
when it was built in Oshkosh in 1869, sank in the
Environmental contractors use specialized equipment with
GPS technology to collect archaeological data.
Lumber and wood chippings discovered during an archaeologi-
cal review reveal information about historic activity in the area
to be dredged this spring.
mud after it caught fire in 1901 while docked in the
river near today's Brown County Fairgrounds. It was
deemed a total loss and was never salvaged.
Based on the presence of sawdust, wood chippings
and lumber along the shoreline, the archival review
also uncovered many structures associated with
historic industries near the project area. Although
they are not standing today, the review uncovered a
series of buildings near the southern portion of the
area that appear to be where several sawmills and two
large docks were once located. According to an 1889
Brown County plat map, these types of activities were
historically practiced along the Lower Fox River.
If the area needs to be expanded in the future, an
additional survey would be done to the southeast,
particularly where the sawmill docks were located.
According to the review, if any archaeological materi-
als are found during the dredging, the Historic Pres-
ervation Office of the Wisconsin Historical Society in
Madison will be notified.
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Spring 2007
FOX RIVER CURRENT
Two Dredging Projects
to Start by May
By Susan Pastor, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
Two sediment dredging projects are scheduled to start
this spring in Little Lake Butte des Morts and in the
Lower Fox River just below the DePere Dam.
Sediment with high levels of PCBs will be removed
beginning in late April. This "hot spot" area, which
has PCBs as high as 3,000 parts per million, was
discovered in 2004 by contractors working for Geor-
gia-Pacific and NCR Corp. They are designing the
cleanup for this portion of the project.
According to EPA Remedial Project Manager Jim
Hahnenberg, EPA and Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources are concerned when levels are over
1 ppm. "Since that time, contractors have been veri-
fying these high levels by taking additional samples
cores, analyzing more samples and developing en-
gineering plans to come up with the best procedure
to follow to remove this contaminated sediment," he
stated.
The fourth season of dredging in Little Lake Butte des
Morts will begin by May 1, Hahnenberg continued.
"I assume that the dredges will again operate 24 hours
a day, five or six days a week," he said.
To ensure minimal disruption to residents and boaters
on and around the lake, the dredges are equipped with
global positioning systems to make them among the
quietest available while locating the right places for
sediment removal. Each dredge will have two opera-
tors working on them. Sediment and water testing
will continue during the process.
EPA and DNR, with the assistance of a technical team
from an Appleton engineering company, will again
oversee the project to ensure that state and federal
laws are followed.
Out and About...
By Susan Pastor, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
The Fox River Intergovernmental
Partnership is made up of U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, Oneida Tribe of Indians
of Wisconsin and Menominee Indian Tribe
of Wisconsin. These partners, as well
as other supporting agencies, regularly
provide speakers to organizations in the
Fox Valley area. The following people
recently made presentations:
January
* Jim Hahnenberg, EPA: International
Conference on Remediation of
Contaminated Sediments, Savannah,
GA; Little Lake Butte des Morts
dredging project.
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Spring 2007
FOX RIVER CURRENT
The Fox River Current is featuring promising natural resource damage assessment projects in and near the
Lower Fox River.
Spotlight On:
Wetland Restoration on the Fox River National Wildlife Refuge
By Colette Charbonneau, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The Fox River National Wildlife
Refuge, managed through U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, Horicon NWR,
encompasses 1,004 acres, of which
800 acres are wetland habitat (wild-
life homes), along the Fox River in
Marquette County, Wis. Prior to
refuge establishment in 1979, ap-
proximately 400 acres of wet prairie,
sedge meadow, and shallow marsh
wetland were illegally ditched for ag-
ricultural development. The previous
owner was required to fill in the ille-
gal ditches but was not able to com-
plete the work. Therefore, the federal
government acquired the land.
The illegal ditches carry sediment,
pesticides and fertilizer from up-
stream farming operations straight
into the Fox River. The historic wet-
lands that once filtered water flowing
to the river have lost native wetland
vegetation and non-native upland
shrubs have been taking over the area. This reduces
the ecological value of the land for migratory birds
and fish that use the wetlands.
The Fox River/Green Bay Natural Resource Trustee
Council approved funding to restore the hydrological
PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
Refuge personnel fill ditch areas with soil to improve ecological value of the land for
migratory birds and fish.
conditions in approximately 200 acres of the refuge
wetlands. Refuge personnel are filling or plugging
the ditches using soil from the refuge lands. The
shallow scrapes made from the borrow areas to fill the
ditches will produce shallow wetland pools that are
important for waterfowl and fish. Once the ditches
are filled and no longer carry runoff directly to the
See Spotlight, Page 5
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Spring 2007
FOX RIVER CURRENT
Spotlight^row Page 4
river, the water will spread out as sheet-flow (flow
of water that is spread out like a sheet over a large
area), covering the whole area over the land and
slowly filtering through the wet prairie, meadow and
shallow marshy areas improving water quality in
the Fox River. Adding water to the historic wetland
areas will also stop the growth of the upland shrubs
that are encroaching into the habitat.
"The wetland restoration will result in increasing
water depth, duration of water on the wetland and
frequency of flooding in drained areas, especially
during the spring," explained Sadie O'Dell, refuge
wildlife biologist. "This creates habitat conditions
important for fish spawning and nursery areas as well
as for migratory birds such
as mallards, greater sandhill
cranes, American bittern,
northern harrier and the yel-
low rail."
the refuge is open for deer hunting season only.
The natural resource trustees are comprised of FWS,
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Oneida
Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, Menominee Indian
Tribe of Wisconsin, Michigan Attorney General,
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality,
Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For further information on natural resource damage
assessment projects, contact Trustee Council Coordi-
nator Colette Charbonneau, FWS, at Colette_Char-
bonneau@fws.gov or at (920) 866-1726.
Refuge managers are current-
ly developing a recreational
fishing plan for the Fox River
NWR. The plan is expected
to be completed for the 2008
fishing season. The refuge
will be opened for the public
to fish on Fox River backwa-
ter lakes and along the river's
edge. Fish species found on
and along the refuge include
channel catfish, northern
pike, black crappie, bluegill,
green sunfish, largemouth
bass and pumpkinseed. Until
the fishing plan is completed,
PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
Sandhill cranes fly over wetlands that have been restored where native vegetation is growing.
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Spring 2007
FOX RIVER CURRENT
Little Lake Butte des Morts 2004,
2005 Summary Reports Available
By Greg Swanson, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Summaries of PCB cleanup work in Little Lake Butte
des Morts (also known as operable unit 1) for 2004
and 2005 are now available. The remedial summary
reports contain information on the project, dredg-
ing activity, dewatering, transportation and disposal,
water treatment, productivity and environmental
monitoring.
Copies of the reports can be found as PDF files in the
"Reports and Documents" section of the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources Fox River Web
page at http://www.dnr.wi.gov/org/water/wm/foxriv-
er/index.html. They are also available in hard copy
or CD formats in the information repositories listed
on page 7 as well as in the administrative records at
the DNR offices in Green Bay and Madison and at
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency office in
Chicago.
The 2006 report is in progress. DNR expects to post
the report to its Fox River Web page and send the
document to the repositories and administrative re-
cords later this spring. More information on the Little
Lake Butte des Morts cleanup can also be found at
www.littlelakecleanup.com.
Public Comments, from Page 1
The proposed changes to the 2003 cleanup plan in-
clude:
• Dredging 3.7 million cubic yards of contaminated
sediment from certain sections of the site
• Reducing the amount of material placed in a land-
fill, by separating the sand from the sediment and
using it on and off site
• Using sand covers as an alternative to dredging in
certain areas
• Monitoring the caps and covers to ensure that the
contamination left in place is not released
The proposed changes would result in lower PCB
concentrations after the cleanup.
called the basis of design report and technical memo-
randum. They can be found in the site information
repositories listed on Page 7 and online at www.epa.
gov/region5/sites/foxriver or in the "Reports and
Documents" section at www.dnr.wi.gov/org/water/
wm/foxriver/index.html.
EPA will respond to public comments in a document
called a responsiveness summary. The responsive-
ness summary will become part of the final decision
document called the record of decision amendment.
EPA's final cleanup plan will be announced in the
local newspaper. Copies of the amendment will be
available at the local information repositories and on
the EPA and DNR Web pages listed above.
The proposed plan is explained in detail in documents
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Spring 2007
FOX RIVER CURRENT
Whoops!
We neglected to mention the location of the Gordon Nauman Conservation Area, the natu-
ral resource damage assessment project that was featured in the Winter 2006 Fox River
Current.
The area is located in the village of Howard at the end of Wietor Drive which can be found
just off Velp Drive right before the overpass at Interstate 43. It is near the existing fishing
and boardwalk park known as Wietor Wharf.
Please visit this area that we are helping to restore!
Information Available at Local Libraries
The Intergovernmental Partners invite the public
to review technical reports, fact sheets and other
documents related to the Lower Fox River cleanup
at information repositories set up in the reference
sections of the local libraries listed below. Information
repositories at the public libraries in De Pere,
Kaukauna, Little Chute, Neenah and Wrightstown
have been discontinued. However, binders containing
fact sheets are being maintained at these locations as
well as at the following repositories:
Check out these Web sites:
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/wm/foxriver/index.html
http://www.epa.gov/region5/sites/foxriver/
http://contaminants.fws.gov/Issues/Restoration.cfm
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/nrda/index.html
• Appleton Public Library, 225 N. Oneida St., Appleton, Wis.; (920) 832-6170
• Brown County Library, 515 Pine St., Green Bay, Wis.; (920) 448-4381, Ext. 394
• Door County Library, 107 S. Fourth Ave., Sturgeon Bay, Wis.; (920) 743-6578
• Oneida Community Library, 201 Elm St., Oneida, Wis.; (920) 869-2210
• Oshkosh Public Library, 106 Washington Ave., Oshkosh, Wis.; (920) 236-5205
An administrative record, which contains detailed information upon which the selection of the final site cleanup
plan was based, is also available for review at two DNR offices: 801 E. Walnut St., Green Bay, Wis. and 101 S.
Webster St., 2nd Floor, Madison, Wis. An administrative record is also available at the EPA Record Center, 77
W. Jackson Blvd., 7th Floor, Chicago, III.
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Prepared by the Fox River Intergovernmental Partnership: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, and National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration. Supporting agencies include Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, U.S. Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in these articles are solely those of the authors and are not necessarily shared by all members of
the Fox River Intergovernmental Partnership.
INSIDE
FOX RIVER CURRENT
Public Comments Pour In to EPA, DNR
Shipwreck Identified in Recent Study
Two Dredging Projects to Start by May
Out and About...
Spotlight On: Wetland Restoration on the Fox River National Wildlife Refuge 4
Little Lake Butte des Morts 2004, 2005 Summary Reports Available
Web Site Addresses
Information Repository Locations
Fox River Current is published bimonthly by
the Fox River Intergovernmental Partnership.
Its purpose is to provide up-to-date information
about cleanup and restoration efforts on the
Lower Fox River. Call Greg Swanson at
(608) 264-6024 to request a subscription
or alternative format. Feedback on articles
and ideas for future issues are welcome.
Send comments to Greg Swanson, Fox
River Current, DNR, CE/8, P.O. Box 7921,
Madison, WI 53707 or e-mail dnr.state.wi.us>
&ERA
Office of Public Affairs (P-19J)
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
Reproduced on Recycled Paper
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