The long-anticipated cleanup and capping of more than a century's worth of toxic contaminants in the St. Louis River's Stryker Bay began in July 2006.
Stryker Bay and Slips 6 and 7 were heavily polluted from the late 1800s through 1962. The harbor area was ringed with tar and coke plants, heavy industry and slaughterhouses that all discharged industrial waste into the water. The sediment in the bay, slips and part of the river is contaminated with mercury, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, lead and other toxins.
PCA officials have been working on the project since 1979, and the site has been on the federal Superfund list since 1983. Some coal tar seeps and contaminated soil on land were cleaned up a decade ago. But underwater cleanup has proved more complicated, controversial and costly.
XIK Corp., formerly Interlake Corp., has taken the lead role among companies held responsible for the pollution. Honeywell, formerly Allied Signal, Domtar and Beazer East also are considered responsible parties after buying businesses or property involved in the original pollution.
In 1999, the PCA recommended the entire site be dredged and the contaminants removed and disposed of. But the responsible companies balked because of the huge cost, saying they would sue the PCA if the plan was enacted. In 2004, to avoid lengthy Superfund litigation, the PCA agreed to the compromise that includes part dredging and part capping.
