New PCB pollution found in Milwaukee River

State and federal authorities said they have identified new areas of toxic contamination in a section of the Milwaukee River that runs from E. North Ave. to the Estabrook Dam.

The polluted areas were found in the river and along the shoreline in a 4-mile stretch that has become increasingly popular as development had grown and other measures of water quality are showing signs of improvement, according to a 2014 Journal Sentinel series of stories Rivers Reborn.

The finding could lead to a second major toxic cleanup of the river between North Ave. and Lincoln Park to the north. But officials said it is premature to speculate on what will come next. Any cleanup project could face funding difficulties under the Trump administration, which is proposing major cuts in federal environmental programs.

The Milwaukee River basin is one of Lake Michigan’s “areas of concern” that signify extensive toxic pollution.

A contractor hired by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found polychlorinated biphenyls scattered in pockets during an evaluation of the area last fall.

The PCBs are likely remnants of extensive manufacturing on Milwaukee’s north side and eventually washed downstream via the Lincoln Creek watershed.

PCBs were often used as industrial coolants and are a group of chemicals that were banned in 1977.

The state Department of Health Services has said that research on PCBs has shown evidence of development and cognitive disorders in children of mothers who have eaten a moderate to a high amount of contaminated fish.

Heather Williams of the EPA said the contractor is still assessing data from soil and sediment samples. She said the agency is spending about $500,000 on the work.

But with warmer temperatures and increased activity along the river, the EPA, state Department of Natural Resources and Department of Health Services said they wanted to publicize the findings of the presence of PCBs in a new area of the river.

A public meeting will be held on April 18 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the

Gordon Park Pavilion.

The findings were not a surprise because of extensive PCB pollution upriver where PCBs in a previous cleanup project ranged from less than 1 part per million to more than 100 parts per million.

The new sampling between the Estabrook Dam and North Ave. shows generally lower levels of contamination — from less than 1 part per million to 24 parts per million.

Thousands of pounds of PCBs and a second pollutant, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, have already been removed from the river near Lincoln Creek, Lincoln Park, the Blatz Pavilion and just above the Estabrook Dam at a cost of more than $44 million, according to officials. Final work on that project is being completed this year.

The federal government paid for 65% of the cost. The State of Wisconsin paid for most of the rest of the cleanup. Milwaukee County also contributed to the effort.

Rob Thiboldeaux, a senior toxicologist with the Department of Health Services, said the public health risk is low for hikers, boaters, anglers and cyclists who find themselves coming into contact with contaminated soil or sediments.

Those who do, he said, should wash up quickly.

A state fish consumption advisory suggests limits on how much fish should be consumed from the river.

Thiboldeaux said that PCB contamination is usually the result of exposure over time. The most worrisome exposure: the consumption of predator fish like northern and fish like carp that feed on the floor of the river.

In sediments, PCBs were found in 24 different locations. PCBs were also found in 34 different locations along the shoreline. Soil samples were taken from 2 feet to 10 feet.

PCBs likely reached the area during flooding or when water levels were higher. The Milwaukee River was considerably deeper and wider before the removal of the North Avenue dam in 1997.

One area where the PCBs were found is near the Urban Ecology Center in Riverside Park.

“It wasn’t any secret that we were working on contaminated land,” said Ken Leinbach, executive director.

The center has been involved in extensive restoration work along the river. And from the start, Leinbach said staff, students and volunteers have used gloves and taken other precautions.

Cheryl Nenn of Milwaukee Riverkeeper said her group would support removing problem areas of PCBs.

She said the big worry, however, is the planned cut by President Donald Trump in funding for the EPA and programs for Great Lakes, including the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which funds toxic cleanups.

“We are really very concerned about that going forward,” Nenn said.