GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The Fox River Cleanup Project was honored on Wednesday as it enters, what should be, its final season of operation.
The project has been ongoing on the Lower Fox River for a decade as it looks to reduce the human and environmental risks of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that entered the river in the 1940s and 1950s.
To recognize its progress, the project was named the NEW Watershed Champion by NEW Water and Green Bay Water Utility.
Some of the officials on-hand at the Jack Day Environmental Education Center included U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher and Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach.
“I know notice schools of fish coming through, which tells me that there’s food there,” says Streckenbach. “The amount of eagles that are now on the waterfront, the life of that river is coming back.”
Gary Kincaid, a Wastewater Engineer with Wisconsin DNR and the state’s Lead Engineer for government oversight of the cleanup project, says that everyone involved should be proud of the strides made in the past decade.
“This is kind of a big deal here,” he explains. “It’s working and we’re seeing results.”
Kincaid started on with the project in 1997 and noted that he’s even pushed back his retirement in order to see it through to its completion.
“I think we all should be proud that the decades of investigation and action are coming to completion,” he explains.
The hope is that 2019 can be the final season of operations on the river, but first, some important progress will need to be monitored this season.
“The last section of the river, from De Pere out into the bay, that’s the 800-pound gorilla of this project, is that stretch,” he explains. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that we’re going to see positive results there.”
County Executive Streckenbach agrees that the progress is a good sign, but adds that state and government agencies can only do so much.
At some point, the burden of keeping the water clean and environmentally healthy falls onto local businesses and residents.
“We’re recognizing those partners that have helped us clean that water, but what are we doing to be proactive?” asks Streckenbach.
He says the conversation surrounding the topic has changed drastically over the decades and it’s a great sign that people are taking more ownership of keeping the water clean.
In ten years of work, more than 3.1 million tons of processed sediment has been disposed of after being hauled to landfills.
According to DNR officials, that amount of processed sediment could fill up Lambeau Field entirely six or seven times over.
In addition, around 800 acres of river bottom has been capped or sand covered.
“It’s been exciting to see the progress of the project as the barges have been moved down river over the last 10 years,” says Nancy Quirk, Green Bay Water Utility Manager. “We applaud the cooperative effort and all of the resources directed to getting this important project completed.”
