MADISON, Wis. — Federal environmental officials say work to clean up contamination in the Sheboygan River is finished.
The river was listed as an "area of concern" in a list of toxic hot spots identified in the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a statement Friday saying $80 million worth of dredging and habitat restoration projects needed to remove the designation have been completed.
The EPA says the area encompasses the lower Sheboygan River downstream from the Sheboygan Falls Dam, the entire harbor and nearshore waters of Lake Michigan. The agency says the area serves as a sink for pollutants, including fecal coliform bacteria, phosphorus and PCBs that have led to algae blooms, fish consumption advisories and contaminated sediments.
