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| RED CLIFF BAND TO RAISE 70 DOD BARRELS DUMPED INTO LAKE SUPERIOR DURING THE COLD WAR |
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WPR News - Red Cliff Band to raise 70 DoD barrels dumped into Lake Superior during the Cold War
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Monday April 23, 2012
by Mike Simonson
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(UNDATED) Several Department of Defense barrels containing ammunition parts dumped into Lake Superior during the Cold War will be recovered this summer.
After four years of planning and investigation including an extensive side-scan sonar search over 96 square miles, crews will raise 70 of the Department of Defense drums from Lake Superior this summer. Lead by the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and funding from a DoD program to clean-up munitions dumps on Indian territory, this project has been talked about since it was first made public in the 1970's that some 1500 of these barrels are on the lake's bottom four miles from Duluth.
Removing the barrels will be tricky. Because they contain ammunition parts, it's not clear if there is any volatility left. Also, the 1960-era drums are rusty and contamination could spread if they break up as they're being raised.
70 is considered a number that could give them a scientifically accurate sampling to confirm whether or not the 55 gallon barrels are an environmental threat. The recovery operation will also sample lake water and sediment next to the barrels. An independent lab separate from the Department of Defense will analyze this summer's findings, with results expected next spring.
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