&EPA
Second Cleanup Decision Finalized
Public meeting
EPA and DNR will explain the
cleanup plans selected for the
sections of the Lower Fox River
from Little Rapids to DePere,
DePere to the mouth of the river at
Green Bay, and Green Bay at a
public meeting in the Green Bay
area.
Date: August 19,2003
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Brown County Library
Lower Level
515 Pine St.
Green Bay, Wis.
For special needs or
accommodations, please contact:
Susan Pastor at (312) 353-1325,
or toll free at (800) 621 -8431 Ext.
31325.
Web sites
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/
water/wm/lowerfox
http://www.epa.gov/region5/sites/
foxriver
http://www.fws.gov
For more detailed information about
the selected cleanup plan for OUs 3,
4 and 5 of the Lower Fox River,
please read the record of decision.
The record of decision can be found
at each of the libraries listed on the
back page of this fact sheet and also
on the Web.
Lower Fox River and Green Bay Site
Northeast Wisconsin
July 2003
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources recently signed a document called a record of decision.
The document describes the final cleanup plan for the sections (reaches) of
the Lower Fox River from Little Rapids to DePere, DePere to the mouth of
the river at Green Bay, and Green Bay itself.
OU2 Appleton
to Little Rapids
Cakir^et
OU1 Little Lake
Butte des Morts
I Contaminated
I Sediments
101234
OU - This refers to an operable unit. An operable unit is a term used to
describe a certain portion of a site based on similar features and
characteristics. For ease of management, the Lower Fox River site has
been divided into five operable units based on geographic location and
differing river conditions. This decision covers OUs 3, 4 and 5.
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Dredging of the river may involve use of a hydraulic dredge, similar to this one.
Little Rapids to DePere
reach cleanup (OU 3)
The cleanup of this reach will involve:
• Dredging 586,800 cubic yards of contaminated
sediment from this section.
• Dredging an additional 9,000 cubic yards of
contaminated sediment in OU 2 (Appleton to
Little Rapids) just upstream from the Little
Rapids Dam.
Estimated cost:
$27.5 million
DePere to Green Bay reach cleanup (OU 4)
The cleanup of this reach will involve:
• Dredging 5.88 million cubic yards of
contaminated sediment. This will remove about
90 percent of the PCBs in the river.
Estimated cost:
$257.5 million
OUs 3 and 4 will have the same components:
• Pumping contaminated sediment through a
temporary pipeline to settling basins (ponds).
• Letting sediment settle naturally, pumping water
from settling basins, treating the water and
returning the treated water to the river.
• Moving dewatered sediment to a nearby
landfill for final disposal.
By removing the contaminated sediment, EPA and DNR
estimate this reach of the river will have an average PCB
level lower than the cleanup goal of 1 part per million
(which is equal to one penny in $ 10,000). Capping in
limited areas would also be allowed if that proved to be
less costly than dredging, or if dredging alone were not
sufficient. These activities will reduce the risk to people
and the environment.
If landfill disposal is not available, EPA and DNR may use
a technology called vitrification, which would be proposed
to the public in an amendment to this record of decision.
In this case, vitrification is the process of melting sediment
to bind it into a granular, glassy, solid substance, rendering
it clean.
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Green Bay (OU 5)
EPA and DNR have selected monitored natural recovery
as the cleanup plan for Green Bay. This cleanup relies on
natural processes to break down, bury or dilute the PCBs
in the sediment. It includes a program designed to monitor
the levels of PCBs in sediment, water and fish tissue. The
cleanup of Green Bay will also include dredging of PCB-
contaminated sediment in the area near the mouth of the
river. This dredging would be done along with the
dredging of OU 4. EPA and DNR have chosen not to
dredge the bay because:
• Removal of the PCBs in the river sediment will
greatly reduce the amount of PCBs entering the
bay.
• PCB levels in the bay are generally much lower
than in the river.
• Active cleanup in the bay would not significantly
reduce risk.
Estimated cost:
$39.6 million
Objective of the cleanup
The objective of this cleanup is to reduce the risks
posed to people and the environment from the PCBs
in the Lower Fox River sediment in OUs 3,4 and 5.
The next step
EPA and DNR will begin discussions with
the companies considered potentially
responsible for the PCB contamination
about doing the cleanup. Design and
cleanup planning will also begin during
these negotiations. The selected cleanup
plan will be refined during the design
phase. Once the designs are completed
and approved by EPA and DNR, a
contractor will be hired to begin the work.
To determine how well the cleanup is
working, after five years, EPA and DNR
will review the cleanup to ensure that it is
protecting people and the environment.
Background
PCBs were discovered in sediment and water in the
Lower Fox River in the early 1970s. PCBs are of
concern because they accumulate in the food chain. They
have been linked to harmful effects in people, fish and
wildlife. Because of these concerns, the manufacture of
PCBs in the United States was stopped in 1977. Until
the 1970s, PCBs were discharged into the river by area
paper mills.
The Lower Fox River site includes approximately 39
miles of the Lower Fox River as well as Green Bay. The
river portion of the site extends from the outlet at Lake
Winnebago and continues downstream to the river mouth
at Green Bay. The bay portion of the site includes all of
Green Bay, which is 119 miles long and 23 miles wide.
The site has been divided into five OUs. (See map on
Page 1.) They are:
OU 1 - Little Lake Butte des Morts
OU 2 - Appleton to Little Rapids
OU 3 - Little Rapids to DePere
OU 4 - DePere to Green Bay
OU 5 - Green Bay
EPA and DNR issued a record of decision in January
2003 selecting the cleanup plans for OUs 1 and 2. This
record of decision is for the remaining three OUs. This
type of phased approach was done to speed up the
overall cleanup project while gaining experience to be
used in future phases.
Monitored natural recovery includes sampling for PCB levels in
fish, water and sediment.
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For more information
For more information about the Lower Fox River and Green Bay site cleanup, please contact:
Susan Pastor
Community Involvement Coordinator
Office of Public Affairs (P-19J)
EPA Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
Phone: (312) 353-1325 or
(800) 621-8431 Ext. 31325
Fax: (312)353-1155
E-mail: pastor.susan@epa.gov
James Hahnenberg
Remedial Project Manager
Superfund Division (SR-6J)
EPA Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
Phone: (312)353-4213 or
(800) 621-8431 Ext. 34213
Fax: (312)886-4071
E-mail: hahnenberg.james@epa.gov
Edward K. Lynch, RE.
Fox River Project Manager
Wisconsin DNR (RR/3)
101 S. Webster St.
P.O. Box 7921
Madison, WI 53707-7921
Phone: (608)266-3084
Fax: (608)267-7646
E-mail: lynche@dnr.state.wi.us
Information repositories and administrative records
Copies of the record of decision and other documents related to the Lower Fox River cleanup will be available in the
reference sections of:
• 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, 104 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) 236-5200
An administrative record, which contains detailed information upon which the selection of the cleanup plan was based, will be
available at the DNR office, 801 E. Walnut St., Green Bay; DNR Bureau for Remediation and Redevelopment, 3rd Floor, 101
S. Webster St., Madison; and EPA Records Center, 7th Floor, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, 111.
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