The 39-mile Fox River experienced severe contamination for 20 years from PCPs before a dredging project to clean up the river began in 2004. This was NRF’s first time funding a large-scale mitigation project in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Learn more about the Fox River cleanup in this guest blog by Sofia Zapata, originally published by Simpson Street Free Press.
A hydraulic dredging vessel used during the cleanup effort floats on the Fox River under a clear blue sky. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
How PCBs contaminated the Fox River
The Fox River flows across central and east-central Wisconsin to Green Bay and was contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals during the mid-20th century. It took almost 17 years to clean the entire river.
Between the 1950s and 1970s, the Fox River began to be contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, created by seven Fox River Valley paper companies. This chemical compound causes various harmful effects such as cancer and other health conditions. In addition, this substance can cause liver damage, acne-like skin, and neurobehavioral and immunological abnormalities in children.
A dredging unit on the Fox River with a sign that reads “Danger floating pipeline” as part of the PCB removal project. Photo courtesy of Simpson Street Free Press
How to clean the river, and who should pay?
There were many debates around the cleanup of the Fox River. One of them was about who would pay for the cleanup. Environmental activists said that the seven companies should pay to clean the river because they were the ones who contaminated it. However, the seven companies argued that taxpayers should also have to pay some of the cost. At the end of this argument, everyone decided that the seven paper companies responsible had to pay all the costs with a total estimated $1.3 billion.
The second debate was about what strategy to use in the clean up and three strategies were developed. One of the strategies was to let the river clean itself because people said that untouched areas would improve over time. Another strategy was dredging the PCB-laden sediment from the river bed. The last strategy was covering the sediment with sand or rocks.
Green heron standing on a piece of driftwood with small insect in its beak on the Fox River. Photo by Steven W Lepak
A cleanup nearly two decades in the making
Active clean-up attempts for the Fox River began in 2004. After the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started a dredging project, done by some paper companies, cleaning ended in 2020. Using a combination of the second and third strategies capping, covering, and dredging were authorized by the EPA. The project had four Remedial Action Objectives (RAO) for the Lower Fox River cleanup. One was to achieve surface water quality criteria for PCBs throughout the Lower Fox River and Green Bay. Another objective was to protect humans from exposure to contaminants that exceed protective levels (achieve safe exposure for recreational and high-intake fish consumers). In the end, the clean-up was a success.
The river will be supervised for several years to prevent the spread of PCBs and to make sure that the water and fish are healthy.
Fox River behind Lawrence University’s campus in 2022. Photo by Caitlin Williamson
Guest Blogger
Sofia Zapata
Student Journalist, age 16
Sofia is a high school student in Dane County, Wisconsin. She is a staff writer and editor for Simpson Street Free Press and its Spanish-language publication, La Prensa.
Written by Sofia Zapata, originally published by Simpson Street Free Press
NRF’s support of the Fox River cleanup
The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin (NRF) has been protecting our state’s lands, waters, and wildlife since 1986. Thanks to our supporters, NRF held a settlement fund for the Fox River cleanup in 1996. This major mitigation project was NRF’s first time being a conduit for funding to accomplish a large project, working in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.