Spirit Lake Great Lakes Legacy Act Project For your safety, no public access is alQowed on this construction site. Site History We acknowledge that the area known as Spirit Lake and in close proximity to Spirit Island are located on the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of the Ojibwe Anishinaabe people. This land holds great historical, spiritual, and personal significance for the Native nations and peoples of this region. Historical industrial activities as well as other activities upstream of the site have impacted the onshore areas and areas within Spirit Lake. These areas contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals including lead, copper and zinc. PAHs are a class of chemicals toxic to fish and aquatic organisms and can potentially cause cancer in humans. Cleanup Process U. S. Steel (USS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have entered into a voluntary agreement under the Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA) to cleanup the aquatic areas within the black boundaries shown on the map (see right). The cleanup includes dredging (sediment removal), capping (isolation of sediment from the environment), and long-term monitoring of impacted sediments. The remainder of the impacted areas within the red boundary will be addressed later under the Superfund program, where necessary. Benefits The cleanup will result in aquatic ecosystem improvement through the creation of new open water, increased fish spawning habitat and restored wetlands. This will contribute to the removal of beneficial use impairments and the eventual delisting of the St. Louis River Area of Concern. Public access to the St. Louis River will also be improved. ^6DS^( w "s Great Lakes RESTORATION % PRo^° Map of completed work at Spirit Lake indicating which site areas will receive habitat restoration plantings in 2023. FOR MORE INFORMATION EPA Community Involvement Coordinator Francisco Arcaute 312-886-7613 arcaute.francisco(5)epa.gov EPA Region 5 toll-free: 800-621-8431, weekdays M-F 8:30-4:30 EPA Project Manager Mark Loomis 312-886-0406 loomis.mark(a)epa.gov GLLA Program Manager Scott Cieniawski 312-353-9184 cieniawski.scott(a>epa.gov EPA Spirit Lake Website: https://www.epa.gov/great- lakes-aocs/spirit-lake-great- lakes-legacv-act-cleanup Great Lakes Mud Website: https://www.greatlakesmud. org/spirit-lake-site—st-louis- river-aoc.html Spirit Lake Work is Complete Dredging • 425,000 cubic yards (or over 100,000 loads of sediment in a full-size pick-up truck bed) of impacted sediment has been removed from the in-water and upland work areas. Capping • 100 acres of in-water work areas and the upstream Unnamed Creek work areas have been covered with a clean multi-layer remedial cap. Enhanced Natural Recovery (ENR) • 12 acres in-water have been covered with a thin layer of clean sand to accelerate natural recovery processes in the sediment. Shoreline Protection • 6,400 LF of sheltered, intermediate and critical shoreline protection was constructed. Ongoing Work- Spring through Fall 2023 - Railroad and pedestrian bridges are being constructed where Unnamed Creek meets the Shallow Sheltered Bay and where Wire Mill Pond meets the St. Louis River. - The pedestrian trail will be completed in fall 2023. - Habitat restoration plantings will occur spring through fall of 2023. - Topsoil and clay will be placed on the CDFs and they will be planted with native upland species in 2023. Pedestrian trail work near Unnamed Pond. t .i tease Mil" V'V.-!' , atural Recovery yNorth V YM " r-rcdgo fKroilll Dredge and Cap mmmmrnhM mm. mVnnameam >.v \ « \A vGreefcEe/fa, Shallbwj V \ \ifVp Sheltered mm |5oX©e/fa^ l&V Upland; W\NCa^ Cap and Upland Cover / ii _i Unnamed Crepk~~ Dredge and Cap Dredge ^Enhanced \ Natural (/ Recovery Wire'immeltai WireMillPohd Operable Unit J / (OU-J) CDF Borrow Area Dredge Notes: • Unnamed Creek planting was completed in 2021 - 2022. • EIMR and deep-water areas are not part of the planting plan for the site. 0 I 500. . 1,000 ' F°°'/" Legend CI Spirit Lake GLLA Project Boundary U.S. Steel Superfund Site Boundary HI Completed Remediation Work | Ol Habitat Restoration Planting 2023 Monitored Natural Recovery Areas Precast bridge structures are raised into place at the Unnamed Creek bridge. recreational features 'edestrian Trail Shallow Sheltered Bay Hilton Street View of site from Morgan Park when project is completed. ------- |