July 10, 2006

The Department of Environmental Quality has agreed to provide $600,000 under a cost share agreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and private parties to conduct cleanup activities along the St. Mary’s River in Sault Ste. Marie. The project will remove approximately 40,000 cubic yards of contaminated soils and sediments at an industrial site on the river, and aid the community in redeveloping the site.

The site, now known as Cannelton Industries, Inc., was previously home to a leather tannery from 1900 to 1958. Remedial investigations completed in the early 1990s showed that the tannery operations caused substantial chromium and mercury contamination in a wetland along the river and in river sediments. The project announced today will complete all planned remedial efforts for the site, and restore the quality of the river in this area.

“Our partnership with the EPA and the local community is allowing us to clean up this historically contaminated site that has been impacting the St. Mary’s River,” said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester. “We are pleased to be a part of this collaborative effort that will benefit Sault Ste. Marie’s environment, as well as its economy.”

The project’s total cost is estimated to be $7.7 million dollars, and will include the removal and disposal of contaminated river and wetland sediments, wastewater treatment, and shoreline stabilization. Notably, this cleanup effort will remove this last site from the American side of the St. Mary’s River “Area of Concern”.

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

“Protecting Michigan’s Environment, Ensuring Michigan’s Future”

Revised July 10, 2006 by Linda Crawford for Pat Watson