United States progress in remediating contaminated sediments in Great Lakes Areas of Concern

United States progress in remediating contaminated sediments in Great Lakes Areas of Concern

Starting in 1985, comprehensive Remedial Action Plans were initiated to restore impaired beneficial uses in Great Lakes Areas of Concern. These plans were a catalyst for developing programs to remediate contaminated sediments. In 1987, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implemented the Assessm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aquatic ecosystem health & management Vol. 21; no. 4; pp. 438 - 446
Main Authors: Tuchman, M. L., Cieniawski, S.E., Hartig, J.H.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: East Lansing Taylor & Francis 02-10-2018
Michigan State University
Subjects:
Aquatic organisms
Beneficial use
Catalysts
Contaminants
contaminated sediment remediation
Contaminated sediments
Contamination
Economics
Environmental assessment
Environmental protection
Federal legislation
Great Lakes Legacy Act
Lake sediments
Lakes
Remediation
Restoration
Sediment
Sediment pollution
Sediments
Soil remediation
Wildlife
United States > US
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Description
Summary:Starting in 1985, comprehensive Remedial Action Plans were initiated to restore impaired beneficial uses in Great Lakes Areas of Concern. These plans were a catalyst for developing programs to remediate contaminated sediments. In 1987, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implemented the Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediment Program to: measure contaminant concentrations in sediments and their potential effects on aquatic life; evaluate risks to wildlife and human health; and test technologies that might be used to clean up these contaminated sediments. In 2002, the U.S. Great Lakes Legacy Act was signed into law with the intent to remediate contaminated sediments at Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Before Great Lakes Legacy Act, only limited progress had been made in addressing contaminated sediments, a major, intractable issue impacting 9 of the 14 listed beneficial use impairments in Areas of Concern. Between 2004 and 2017, Great Lakes stakeholders have completed a total of 46 contaminated sediment remediation projects in U.S. Areas of Concern, resulting in the remediation of over 6.6 million m 3 of contaminated sediments at a cost of over $1 billion. Although much has been accomplished, more contaminated sediment remediation must be undertaken to fully restore Areas of Concern. The Great Lakes Legacy Act and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative have been essential components for completing this important remediation and restoration work in Areas of Concern that is resulting in significant economic and environmental benefits.
ISSN:1463-4988
1539-4077
DOI:10.1080/14634988.2018.1539602