If you've noticed some activity under the east-side of the Blatnik Bridge this week, it's for a reason. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started a planned dredging project at Howards Bay that's expected to last the summer and into early fall.
According to details released by the EPA, the work is tied to the St. Louis River Area of Concern - which was created as part of the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. This specific project will see crews dredging contaminated sediment at Howards Bay. "Sediment in Howards Bay is polluted with contaminants typically associated with fossil fuels such as coal, gasoline, and oil". The work is one part routine navigation dredging combined with environmental restoration to remove the contamination.