FOX RIVER
Winter 2008
Vol. 11, No. 4
Update from the Lower Fox River Intergovernmental Partnership
Archaeologists Find Five Sunken Ships in River
By Susan Pastor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
While conducting historical research in October at the
"Shell Property" near Georgia-Pacific in Green Bay,
remnants of five ships were discovered just north of the
southern railroad bridge.
The ships, two of which date back to the 1880s,
were discovered by archaeologists hired to document
artifacts found in the river from Appleton to Green
Bay. This area is slated for cleanup that involves
dredging and sand covering/capping next year. The
archaeologists were also charged with making
recommendations on how to handle the artifacts so the
cleanup can proceed as scheduled.
According to John Vetter, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's national expert in historic
preservation, EPA and the Wisconsin State Historic
Preservation Officer are working together to develop a
formal agreement with respect to historical resources
(see related article on Page 3).
"An agreement will ensure compliance with historic
preservation laws and, as a result, discover the
Fox River Current Moves To
Tri-Annual Schedule
Beginning in 2009, the Fox River Current
newsletter will move from a quarterly to tri-annual
publication. Watch for it in late April, August and
December.
PHOTO COURTESY OF HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF THE GREAT LAKES, BOWLING GREEN
STATE UNIVERSITY
The C. W. Kraft vessel, built in 1920, is one of five historic ships
recently found in the Lower Fox River.
significant historic settings and activities that took
place in and around the Lower Fox River," said Vetter.
With the help of many Wisconsin historians, nautical
organizations and maritime museums, two tugboats
called the C. W. Kraft and the Satisfaction have already
been tentatively identified.
According to historical databases, the C. W. Kraft
was built in 1920. The vessel's history is sketchy.
According to various documents, the tug was
bought and sold several times until it was listed as
"abandoned" in 1943. The C. W. Kraft may have been
sold to Waterways Engineering Corp. in the 1940s to
help the firm respond to the marine construction boom
that happened on Lake Michigan during the World War
II years. Because its hull indicates that it is from the
See Archaeologists Find, Page 2
-------
Winter 2008
FOX RIVER CURRENT
Paper Companies Complete Transportation Plan
By Susan Pastor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
When cleanup of the Lower Fox River begins next
year in the reaches from Little Rapids to Green Bay,
trucks taking sediment from the staging area to a
nearby landfill will be following a carefully planned
route.
Appleton Papers, Georgia-Pacific, and NCR
Corp., the companies responsible for the cleanup,
developed the routes this fall after consulting with
local officials. The Wisconsin Department of
Transportation also provided information. The plan
outlines how PCB-contaminated sediment dredged
from the river will be trucked away from 2009 to
2015. According to company representatives, they
looked at several factors such as travel distance,
existing traffic volumes, weight restrictions and
future roadway improvements.
Safety and spill procedures are also built into
the plan. All trucks will be washed and covered
before leaving on their routes and will be required
to comply with all federal and state laws. PCB
sediment does not pose an immediate danger on
trucks. If, however, a spill happens the owner or
operator of the truck will report it and promptly clean
it up, as required by law. All drivers will be trained
in transportation spill response procedures and will
have appropriate spill response equipment on hand.
Further information on the plan can be found on the
companies'Web site: http://www.foxrivercleanup.com.
Archaeologists Vindfrom Page 1
type of tugboat that operated in Green Bay and Lake
Michigan from the late 1800s to the first half of the
1900s, it meets certain criteria for eligibility on the
National Register of Historic Places.
The Satisfaction was built in 1894 as a 47-ton tug that
was used in the commercial fishing industry for nearly
25 years. It was bought by the Greiling Brothers
of Green Bay in 1919 who converted it for towing,
according to reports. In 1930, the Satisfaction was
purchased by Waterways Engineering. After 16 more
years of service, the boat was stripped of its equipment
and left to sink near its slip at the Waterways dock.
The wood hull on the Satisfaction also satisfies specific
criteria to make it eligible for listing on the National
Register of Historic Places.
Both types of tugs apparently played a major role in
the economic development of Green Bay toward the
end of the 1800s and the first half of the 1900s. They
were considered to have been involved in important
maritime trade. Steam tugboats were typically used to
haul timber, coal, limestone and other types of cargo.
They also assisted large freighters as they arrived and
left port and helped other vessels navigate icy waters.
They were eventually replaced by diesel-powered
boats.
Little information seems to be available on three other
wooden barges lying parallel with the shoreline near
the bridge. One may be the remains of a dredge or
crane often used in the 19th and 20th centuries to
improve and maintain Fox River navigation channels,
locks, dams and canals.
Under the National Historic Preservation Act,
archaeological studies are required when it is suspected
that construction projects may disturb cultural
resources, such as these sunken tug boats. Artifacts
found are also typically evaluated for eligibility for
nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
EPA and contractors for Georgia-Pacific, Appleton
Papers, and NCR Corp. are in contact with Wisconsin's
State Historic Preservation Officer in Madison to
develop plans to minimize any affect to these vessels
when the cleanup starts next spring.
-------
Winter 2008
FOX RIVER CURRENT
EPA, State Protect
Historic Resources
By Susan Pastor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
A formal agreement is in the works to ensure that all
required research is done concerning artifacts that
might be found during the Lower Fox River cleanup
from Appleton to Green Bay.
When signed by U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, the State Historic Preservation Officer and
the Advisory Council on Elistoric Preservation, the
agreement will specify that background research,
in-water investigations and "data recovery" be done at
the area referred to as the "Former Shell Property" in
the 37-mile stretch of river and in the bay.
The property will house staging areas, a sediment
treatment facility and the dredging operation. In-water
work will include dredging PCB-contaminated sediment,
building a sheet pile and removing debris.
For the property, EPA would also oversee:
The collection of background research to develop
a historic context.
• In-water surveys to evaluate five existing cultural
resources (see related article on Page 1).
• Observations by a qualified underwater
archaeologist as the resources are avoided during
the cleanup.
For remaining areas of the Lower Fox River and
Green Bay, EPA would also oversee:
• The collection of background research to identify
areas that may contain cultural resources eligible
for the National Register of Historic Places.
• In-water investigations that may involve diving,
mapping, probing and photography.
• Appropriate "data recovery" in places where
avoiding identified resources is not possible.
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. To
request a speaker, contact the agencies directly.
See EPA, State Protect Page 7
EPA To Host Booth At
Annual Science Expo
By Susan Pastor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The Lower Fox River cleanup will be the main focus of
a booth sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency at the Foth Einstein Project Science Expo on
Saturday, Feb. 14 at Green Bay's Shopko Hall.
EPA staff will be available during the expo hours of 9 a.m.
to 4 p.m. to answer questions about how the river is being
protected, preserved and restored. In addition, there will
be hands-on environmental demonstrations that kids of
all ages can try. Kids participating in the science fair will
also find a special EPA surprise inside their "goody bags."
This annual family event teaches kids the science behind
everyday events and careers. Activities allow them to
explore life, earth, physical and environmental science,
technology/engineering, space/flight and forensics.
-------
Winter 2008
FOX RIVER CURRENT
The Fox River Current is featuring promising natural resource damage assessment projects in and near the
Lower Fox River.
Spotlight On:
Pensaukee Marsh Northern Pike Habitat Restoration
By Colette Charbonneau, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Pensaukee Marsh is within the
Pensaukee River Wetland Complex,
which is located on a sandy lake plain
near the mouth of the Pensaukee River
on the western Green Bay shore of
Oconto County. The wetland complex
is comprised of a variety of wetland
types that provide prime habitat for
many species of plants and animals.
Of particular importance is spawning
habitat for the game fish of Green Bay,
including the northern pike. These
wetlands also contribute to improved
water quality in Green Bay.
In the mid to late 1930s, the Work
Projects Administration constructed
a channel through Pensaukee Marsh
to provide a quicker drainage system
for wetlands upstream of the marsh.
The ditch spoils were deposited in
the marsh creating a berm along the
channel that stopped water from
flowing into the marsh, but would run
directly into the bay instead. The berm
also blocked any movement offish
coming into the marsh to spawn during the spring.
PHOTO COURTESY OF U. S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
Pensaukee Marsh is expected to be flooded next year, which will prevent water from
flowing straight to the bay.
The Fox River/Green Bay Natural Resource Trustee
Council approved funding from the natural resource
damage assessment settlements to the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources to restore
Pensaukee Marsh spawning habitat. The project
consisted of removing the berm to re-establish water
flow into the wetland to levels that existed prior to
the construction of the drainage channel. The project
was completed this summer with 101 truckloads
carrying 1,000 yards of berm material removed from
Pensaukee Marsh. A strip of land about 20 feet wide
from County Highway S to the waters of the bay was
sloped up from the bottom of the channel, seeded
and mulched. This will make a ditch, or waterway,
See Spotlight, Page 5
-------
Winter 2008
FOX RIVER CURRENT
Spotlight from Page 4
available to northern pike to swim upstream into
Pensaukee Marsh to spawn. It will also to lead to
other inland spawning wetlands or allow the sloped
grassy areas to be used for spawning sites.
"Water from the Works Project Administration ditch
that was channeled directly to the bay will now
spread into the 180-acre Pensaukee Marsh making it
available for spawning and rearing habitat to many
fish like yellow perch, spotted musky and northern
pike," stated Tammie Paoli, DNR Green Bay
fisheries biologist. "Improving aquatic and near-
shore habitats will help to improve spawning success
and survival of these important native fish species."
The Pensaukee Marsh restoration project will
also benefit wildlife such as waterfowl and marsh
birds and help to filter sediment and nutrients
from agricultural and residential lands that would
otherwise run off into Green Bay.
An additional benefit of the
Pensaukee Marsh restoration project
was the maintenance and repair of
sections of the Oconto Marsh dike
(see Fall 2006 Fox River Current
Spotlight feature). Rather than
have the removed spoils placed in a
landfill, innovative DNR biologists
requested that the soil be transported
north to the dike at Oconto Marsh
in Oconto County. Five sections
of dike totaling 2,430 feet were
repaired using the material from the
Pensaukee Marsh project. Repair
and maintenance of this dike
provides for the continued protection
of 220 acres of high quality coastal
marsh.
"Oconto Marsh is an important bird
area on the west shore of Green
Bay," affirmed John Huff, DNR
Green Bay West Shore wildlife
biologist. "It provides a reliable area of coastal
emergent marsh habitat for water-dependent species.
And, the marsh is an important nesting area for
waterfowl and Forster's terns."
The natural resource trustees are comprised of DNR,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 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 the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For further information on Natural Resource Damage
Assessment restoration projects, contact Trustee
Council Coordinator Colette Charbonneau, FWS, at
Colette_Charbonneau@fws.gov or 920-866-1726.
PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
This strip of land, approximately 20 feet wide, runs from County Highway S to the
waters of the bay and was recently sloped, seeded and mulched.
-------
Winter 2008
FOX RIVER CURRENT
DNR's Greg Hill Retires After 31-Year Career
By Greg Swanson, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
After 31 years with the Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources, Greg Hill, implementation
coordinator for the Lower Fox River/Green Bay
project, is retiring.
The 55-year Madison resident started his career
with DNR in 1977 as a ground-water specialist
after earning a bachelor's degree in geology and a
master's degree in soil science from the University
of Wisconsin. He worked with the pulp and paper
industry to reduce the dioxin level in its wastewater
treatment plant sludge.
As his career progressed, the Michigan native found
himself working on Great Lakes issues, including
PCBs. "We identified early on that to deal with the
concerns of toxins in the Great Lakes, the issue of
contaminated sediments needed to be addressed," said
Hill.
As state and federal agencies joined together in the
late 1990s to form an Intergovernmental Partnership
to oversee the cleanup of the Lower Fox River
and Green Bay, Hill was tabbed to serve as DNR's
natural resource damage assessment coordinator and
representative on the NRDAteam.
For the past several years, Hill has also served as
the chief of the sediment management section in
the department's bureau of watershed management.
In that capacity, he has been responsible for other
sediment cleanup projects throughout the state, in
addition to the Lower Fox River.
"Greg has been instrumental in managing
many critical details of planning, design and
implementation of the Fox River project," said Bruce
Baker, DNR deputy water division administrator.
"Greg has shown real value through his ability
to work with diverse and complex issues in an
environment where there are many different interests
represented at the table."
Hill talked about the progress he has seen over
the past 10 years in cleaning up and restoring the
Lower Fox River. "I'm proud of the progress that
has been made on both remediation and restoration
of the Fox," he said. "It is, from my standpoint, an
example of what good science, good communication,
collaboration and good people can do. I have enjoyed
the challenges in the water program for more than
30 years. I was hired in 1977 to manage the land-
spreading of municipal sludge and have advanced to
managing contaminated mud. My master's degree
in "dirt" has certainly served me well, and I hope the
state of Wisconsin, too."
After he retires, Hill and his wife Susan plan to
spend more time with their family. They have three
daughters — Marissa is an immigration attorney,
married and living in the Minneapolis-St. Paul,
MN area; Allie is finishing up a master's degree in
early childhood/special education at the University
of Illinois-Chicago; and Amanda will graduate in
May 2009 with a bachelor's degree in sociology/
gerontology at Winona (MN) State. According to
Hill, she will use that degree "to help take care of her
folks."
An avid outdoorsman, Hill is looking forward to
continuing his studies of area lakes (while fishing) and
open land and wildlife (while golfing).
Greg Hill, DNR's Lower Fox River/Green Bay implementation
coordinator, finishes some work on the project before retiring.
-------
Winter 2008
FOX RIVER CURRENT
EPA, State Protect from Page 3
For upland areas that may be included in the cleanup,
EPA would also oversee:
The collection of background research as
necessary.
Subsurface (underground) investigations.
On-site studies.
EPA has enlisted John Vetter, its national expert in
historic preservation, to help draft the agreement.
"Our responsibilities during a cleanup extend to other
environmental values including those of historic
preservation," he explained.
A provision would also be in the agreement for EPA
to oversee the development of a public education
program on the history of the river as well as any
identified cultural resources that may be eligible
for nomination to the National Register of Historic
Places. EPA would do this in consultation with the
State Historic Preservation Officer and local historical
organizations.
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. Binders however, containing fact sheets and newsletters are
being maintained at these locations as well as at the following repositories:
• 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
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
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: 801E. Walnut St., Green Bay, Wis.
and 101 S. Webster St., 3rd Floor, Madison, Wis. An administrative record is also available at the EPA
Record Center, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., 7th Floor, Chicago, III.
-------
I
B
\
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
Archaeologists Find Five Sunken Ships in River
Fox River Current Moves To Tri-Annual Schedule
Paper Companies Complete Transportation Plan
EPA, State Protect Historic Resources
Out and About. . .
EPA To Host Booth At Annual Science Expo
Spotlight On: Pensaukee Marsh Northern Pike Habitat Restoration
DNR's Greg Hill Retires After 31-Year Career
Information Repository Locations
Web Site Addresses
Fox River Current is published tri-annually 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 Susan Pastor at
312-353-1325 or 800-621-8431 Ext. 31325,
weekdays, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. to request a
subscription or alternative format. Feedback
on articles and ideas for future issues are
welcome. Send comments to Susan Pastor,
EPA Office of Superfund (P-19J), 77 W.
Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604 or e-mail
pastor.susan@epa.gov.
&EPA
Office of Superfund (P-19J)
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
Reproduced on Recycled Paper
------- |