This update is for the US Steel site only, located just south of Duluth in Morgan Park, Minnesota. The St. Louis River and associated wetlands run along the eastern and southern sides of the site. Approximately 800 people live within one mile of the site. Contaminated ground water is not used as a drinking water source.
Drinking water is supplied from an intake several miles from the mouth in Lake Superior.
This Deferral Pilot site is being addressed through State and potentially responsible parties' actions. USX has cleaned up 17 of the 18 areas of concern. These two projects, as well as the contaminated sediments in the St. Louis River, are the most significant environmental problems at the site. While operating, USX disposed of large amounts of coal tars in Unnamed Creek which empties into the St. Louis River. The selected remedy is to build an earthen berm around the highly concentrated coal tars and then solidify the wastes in place.