Milwaukee's Underwater 'Bathtub' for Toxic Waste

Milwaukee is completing a $122 million submerged toxic waste storage facility, situated under the Hoan Bridge. This innovative structure is designed to hold approximately 1.9 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment, a quantity equivalent to 759 Olympic swimming pools. The sediment, laden with PCBs from industrial discharges between the 1950s and '70s, will be dredged from the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic rivers.

This facility is a critical component of the Great Lakes Areas of Concern program, overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Building the storage underwater was deemed safer, cheaper, and more efficient than landfilling. The facility's waterproof walls are constructed from large, interconnected steel cylinders filled with a concrete-like mixture, designed to withstand climate shifts for the next century.

The U.S. federal government is funding the majority of the cleanup efforts through initiatives like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The EPA is now contracting Jacobs Solutions to finalize dredging plans, with public comment expected in the fall and dredging potentially starting in 2027.

Once filled, the 42-acre site will eventually be capped and preserved for public use, similar to a previously capped site now hosting the Lake Express ferry terminal. Habitat restoration projects, including fish passages and beach rehabilitation, are also ongoing.