State says Waukegan Harbor clean enough for dredging

Illinois officials are asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to lift restrictions on dredging in Waukegan Harbor that were put in place to avoid stirring up contaminated sediment.

Department of Natural Resources Director Marc Miller says restrictions should be lifted because PCB contamination was removed successfully.

Miller made the formal request on Tuesday. He says lifting the limits is another step toward removing the Lake Michigan harbor from the EPA's list of contaminated Great Lakes areas.

He says that could help the economy in Waukegan and Lake County.

The harbor was contaminated with PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, by a now-closed Outboard Marine Corp. factory. Miller says cleanups completed in 1993 and last year reduced contamination to targeted levels.

People still are warned against eating too many fish from the harbor.