The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District has partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to dredge contaminated sediment from a 7-mile stretch of Otter Creek which extends through Toledo and Oregon, Ohio, before flowing into Maumee Bay.
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.
Afterwards, the dredged area will be covered with a foot of sand to create a barrier against any remaining contamination.
EPA anticipates the cleanup to be complete in the late summer of 2021 after which the Otter Creek will then once again provide a healthy habitat for native organisms.
EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office is overseeing the $12.1 million cleanup, which is a voluntary project funded by the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and by non-federal partners.