DNR to use $120,000 EPA grant to assess health of Waukegan Harbor

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a $120,000 grant to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for a project to assess the health of Waukegan Harbor. The harbor is one of 43 contaminated sites on the Great Lakes designated as an "Area of Concern" by the U.S. and Canada under the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Microorganisms at Waukegan Harbor and North Point Marina will be assessed to determine whether the harbor has recovered sufficiently to be removed from the list. The Waukegan Harbor cleanup was completed in 2014 after more than 20 years of federal, state and local efforts, and $150 million spent to remove or cap contaminated sediment and clean up of the Outboard Marine Superfund Site. Visit https://www.epa.gov/waukegan-harbor-AOC.