The Fox River/Green Bay Cleanup Project

The Lower Fox River and Green Bay areas experienced both the good and bad sides of economic development. Once described as "the hardest working river in the world" because of the amount of industry that used the waterway, the Fox River now shows the results of past discharges of municipal and industrial byproducts.

Between about 1954 and 1971, paper companies using polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to make carbonless copy paper discharged nearly 700,000 pounds of these chemicals into the Fox River. The dangers posed by PCBs were unknown until the early '70s, but their use and discharge into the environment were outlawed by federal environmental regulations in 1976. The ban was successful, but because PCBs bind to dirt and break down very slowly, they are still found today in the sediment of the Lower Fox River and Green Bay.

Since the 1970s there have been significant improvements in the water quality in this system. This has resulted in the restoration of a diverse fishery, including a world-class walleye fishery. However, levels of PCBs (and mercury) in fish are still high enough that consumption advisories for most species are needed to protect human health.

The cleanup of the contaminated sediment from the Lower Fox River and Green Bay is a project that has been in the works for over a quarter century. At long last, the dedication and cooperation of various government agencies, the companies responsible for the contamination, and concerned citizens is paying off, and the cleanup has begun. The ultimate goal of the cleanup is to reduce contaminant levels in fish so that people can eat them safely and so the environment is protected.

This web site provides the public with current information about the cleanup project, including information on the background studies and plans that lead to the final cleanup decisions, and details of current cleanup activities and efforts to restore the natural resources of the Fox River and Green Bay.