Fox River Environmental Dredging Project.

ERDC TN-DOER-T4

December 2001

Fox River Environmental Dredging Project. As a result of historical discharges to the Fox

River system, bottom sediments in the lower river are impacted by PCBs and other pollutants. A

hot spot, Sediment Management Unit (SMU) 56/57, was selected as the demonstration project that

was undertaken in 1999 by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WIDNR) and the Fox

River Group (FRG) of seven named Principal Responsible Parties (PRPs). The purpose of the pilot

study was to provide important information regarding large-scale sediment restoration projects in

the lower Fox River. The FRG included the Fort James Corporation, located on the river at Green

Bay, which has had a keen interest in the selection of appropriate, technically sound, and cost-ef-

fective remediation and restoration actions to improve sediment quality in the lower portion of the

river. The following presentations were coordinated to provide various perspectives regarding the

demonstration of environmental dredging in the Fox River.

Regulator's Perspective - Bob Paulson, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources:

In February of CY 2000, WIDNR requested assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protec-

tion Agency (USEPA) to complete Fox River dredging activities, which had begun with the

1999 dredging demonstration. USEPA duly noted the importance of successfully completing

such a regionally and nationally significant dredging project. In order to accomplish this, it

was necessary to negotiate an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) with the Fort James

Corporation, a private industrial owner adjacent to the Fox River at Green Bay. Negotiations

also involved WIDNR and representation by local Indian tribes. The lessons learned from the

demonstration project and experienced project managers would provide the necessary infor-

mation to make dredging a viable alternative for current and future remedial work on the Fox

River and completion of dredging activities in the CY 2000 construction season. Expedited

negotiations, planning, and design were paramount for project success. Given the controversy

surrounding previous dredging activities, sediment cleanup goals, and environmental, health,

and cost benefits, it was absolutely necessary to select cleanup objectives that could be

completed in a shortened construction season. Implementing and completing the project in

a single construction season required constant oversight and monitoring, ensuring project

milestones and target dates were achieved. This effort resulted in coordination of multiple

agencies and contractors to conduct monitoring, confirmation sampling, public meetings, site

meetings, interviews, confirmation of cleanup objectives, transportation, and disposal. The

following lessons were learned during this pilot dredging project:

It was demonstrated to the Lower Fox River Valley Community that dredging would not

result in "wide-scale community disruption."

Over 2,000 lb [907 kg] of PCBs were permanently removed from the river at SMU 56/57

and 112 lb [51 kg] at SMU N.

Sediments could be disposed in local landfills in compliance with regulatory permits.

Monitoring of the pilot study area showed minimum losses.

Objectives of the pilot dredging project were achieved.

Design and Quality Assurance, The Design Engineer's Perspective - John Henningson,

Hart Crowser: For a variety of reasons, the first attempt at dredging in SMU 56/57 did not

meet the expectations of all participants and was unable to attain demonstration dredging

goals. The dredging goal was consistent with the 1997 Agreement with the FRG to attain a

specific target elevation based on in-place sediment data with a cutoff of 1 ppm. Fort James

independently elected to redesign and complete the demonstration project as a full-scale