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From remediation to restoration and community revitalization: The St. Louis River story
Citation:
Williams, K., J. Hoffman, AND N. French. From remediation to restoration and community revitalization: The St. Louis River story. Chapter 10, J.H. Hartig, G. Krantzberg, J.C. Austin, and P. McIntyre (ed.), How restoring polluted waters leads to rebirth of Great Lakes Communities. International Association for Great Lakes Research, Ann Arbor, MI, , 61-66, (2019).
Impact/Purpose:
This project provides a longitudinal history of the St. Louis River Estuary from pre-settlement, through rapid industrialization, to community revitalization. The article addresses the role of community support in environmental remediation and community revitalization.
Description:
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Duluth, Minnesota was an industrial center for the Great Lakes region and the world. Rapid development came at an environmental cost including filled wetlands and lost habitat, as well as severely impaired water quality. In the 1970s and 80s, Canada and the United States implemented the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The Agreement provided a mechanism for cleaning up the Great Lakes and managing water quality through the creation of Areas of Concern. Community engagement through the Area of Concern program empowered the community to take collective action to improve water quality. The result is that improved water quality is now a foundation for new, sustainable economic activity and development