Formatted Title:

Remediation and Restoration at Pickle Pond in the Heart of Superior’s Barker’s Bay Recreation Area, St. Louis River Area of Concern

Background/Objectives:

Pickle Pond is located in Superior, Wisconsin, within the St. Louis River Area of Concern. The pond is a 9-acre urban waterbody originally created during construction of a railroad track adjacent to the shore effectively cutting off a portion of Superior Bay. Historically, raw sewage was discharged into the pond. Over time, waste from the sewer and runoff from the railroad, highway, and local roads built up and contamination accumulated within sediment in the pond posing health risks to the community and degraded wildlife habitat. Pickle Pond offers a unique, sheltered, shallow-water habitat within the St. Louis River Estuary and provides an opportunity for enhanced waterfront access and recreational benefits to the community, habitat for fish spawning and nurseries, waterfowl, turtles and other wildlife, and restoration of native plants and aquatic vegetation. The goals of the project included: 1) contribute restoration towards the removal of the loss of fish and wildlife habitat beneficial use impairment, 2) improve plant communities through reduction of invasive and non-native plants, 3) reduce stormwater loading, 4) improve sediment quality, and 5) improve habitat conditions for fish spawning and nurseries, waterfowl, and other wildlife.

Approach/Activities:

Design and construction elements specific to addressing the project goals included creation of more diverse habitats within the pond including deeper areas to improve water temperatures and dissolved oxygen levels as well as varied shallower areas for musky and northern pike spawning habitat; removal of contaminated sediments; creation of an emergent wetland area in the southern end of the pond to divert stormwater flow to Barker’s Bay and provide a beneficial reuse for placement of clean dredged material; improvements to plant communities by selective bank clearing to remove invasive species and planting native species; increased public access and improved water quality through the addition of and enlargements to openings in the embankment between Pickle Pond and Barker’s Bay; improvements to fish habitat through the installation of fish habitat structures, native wetland plantings, and improved water quality; improved habitat for birds by installation of nesting boxes and native plantings; improved habitat for turtles by removing the railroad track on portions of the embankment and installation of turtle loafing habitat; and improved water quality and storm water control with controlled distribution of stormwater into emergent wetlands, filter strips, and vegetation buffers at the pond shoreline.

Results/Lessons Learned:

The Pickle Pond project is a model for combined sediment remediation and habitat restoration efforts in the Great Lakes and beyond. The wide-ranging goals, unique site conditions, and expansive stakeholder involvement called for technical innovation, flexible management, and strategic partnering combined to overcome significant complex challenges. Achieving remediation and restoration outcomes revealed a number of successful strategies and lessons learned which will be discussed. The successful approaches employed and the social research conducted will inform similar projects—offering a roadmap for agencies, consultants, contractors, non-profits, and other practitioners.

Jon Trombino

Affiliation

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Remediation and Restoration at Pickle Pond in the Heart of Superior’s Barker’s Bay Recreation Area, St. Louis River Area of Concern