In consultation with the Minnesota Department of Health, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is pleased to recommend removing body contact restrictions at Munger Landing and Spirit Lake in the St. Louis River estuary near Duluth, Minnesota. Until now, signs warning the public of the risk of exposure through bodily contact were posted at each site. After many years of investigation, design work and construction, the Great Lakes Legacy Act remediation projects at these sites are complete.
Prior to the cleanup actions, legacy contamination at these sites resulted in impairments to both the environment and human health. Following completion of the cleanup actions, the MPCA conducted investigations of both sites and determined that sediment remediation goals related to body contact had been met. While these sites are once again safe for public use, we ask users to please limit their activity to the designated trails and boat landings to give the aquatic organisms and plants time to establish and grow.
“Completion of legacy pollution projects at Munger Landing and Spirit Lake mark important milestones in the entire series of cleanup and restoration efforts throughout the St. Louis River estuary and ensure a healthy future for this historic resource,” said MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler. “The addition of more than two miles of walking trails at Spirit Lake, creation of new boat, canoe and kayak launches at Munger Landing, and removal of body contact restrictions at both sites help reconnect surrounding neighborhoods to the St. Louis River estuary.”
A variety of public access features have been installed at each site, but neither site has a designated swimming beach. However you choose to recreate in the St. Louis River, it is important to understand that sediment and water quality are not the only factors that should inform your recreational decisions. Other safety risks associated with this river are described in the University of Wisconsin’s Sea Grant Enjoy the St. Louis River Estuary Safely web page.
A map modeling the strength and direction of the estuary’s ever-changing currents can be found on the University of Wisconsin’s INFOS-CORE web page. It shows information about river hazards including drowning. Being well informed is your best first step to enjoying this recovering resource.