The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, has just released these amazing photos from the Otter Creek and Maumee River cleanup scheme.
Under the cleanup project, a hydraulic vacuum-like dredge is being used to remove approximately 57,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from the creek’s bottom.
Sediment in the lower 1.7 miles of Otter Creek is contaminated with elevated levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and diesel range organics.
The cleanup is to be complete in the late summer of 2021.
Afterwards, the dredged area will be covered with a foot of sand to create a barrier against any remaining contamination. Otter Creek will then once again provide a healthy habitat for native organisms, said USACE.