PCB'S

The Lower Fox River, located in northeastern Wisconsin, begins at the Menasha and Neenah channels leading from Lake Winnebago and flows northeast for 39 miles where it discharges into Green Bay and Lake Michigan. Approximately 270,000 people live in the communities along the river. The river has 12 dams and includes the highest concentration of pulp and paper mills in the world.  During the 1950s and 1960s, these mills routinely used PCBs in their operations which ultimately contaminated the river.

PCBs do not degrade naturally, but instead concentrate in the environment and the food chain resulting in health hazards to humans, fish and wildlife.  The Lower Fox River project involves the cleanup of sediment (mud) contaminated with PCBs, as well as the restoration of the natural resources damaged by these contaminants. 

A number of federal, state and tribal agencies have joined efforts to address this important issue through regulatory avenues including Superfund, the Natural Resource Damage Assessment, and state spill authorities.

What are PCBs?

As a result of the recycling of PCB-containing carbonless copy paper, area mill operations discharged PCBs in waste streams, contaminating sediment in the Lower Fox River. The Lower Fox River is the largest source of PCBs to Lake Michigan in the basin. From 1957 to 1971, about 250,000 pounds of PCBs were released, contaminating 11 million tons of sediment. It is estimated that some 160,000 pounds of PCBs have already left the Fox River and entered Green Bay and Lake Michigan. On average, 300 to 500 additional pounds are flushed from the Lower Fox sediment each year. Floods would flush additional thousands of pounds into Green Bay. Once PCBs are released into the bay and Lake Michigan, they are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to recover.

For More Information from the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency Site

The Fox River/Green Bay Cleanup Project

The Lower Fox River and Green Bay areas experienced both the good and bad sides of economic development. Once described as "the hardest working river in the world" because of the amount of industry that used the waterway, the Fox River now shows the results of past discharges of municipal and industrial byproducts.

Between about 1954 and 1971, paper companies using polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to make carbonless copy paper discharged nearly 700,000 pounds of these chemicals into the Fox River. The dangers posed by PCBs were unknown until the early ´70s, but their use and discharge into the environment were outlawed by federal environmental regulations in 1976. The ban was successful, but because PCBs bind to dirt and break down very slowly, they are still found today in the sediment of the Lower Fox River and Green Bay.

Since the 1970s there have been significant improvements in the water quality in this system. This has resulted in the restoration of a diverse fishery, including a world-class walleye fishery. However, levels of PCBs (and mercury) in fish are still high enough that consumption advisories for most species are needed to protect human health.

For More Information from the Wisconsin DNR Site

exotic invasive species information 

Exotic species are plants or animals that enter an ecosystem from beyond their native ranges.

Exotics are sometimes called "invasive" species because they tend to take over new habitats. That's because natural predators aren't present outside the exotics' normal range. Native species aren't adapted to exotics, and lack the ability to compete. The population explosion that results can upset the ecological balance of aquatic or terrestrial habitats. Once established, exotics are nearly impossible to eliminate.

• More Information Invasive Species
• Exotic/invasive Species (pdf)
• Invasive Species (pdf) - How to stop them

vhs prevention in fox river

We want people to continue to enjoy Wisconsin's great fishing and boating, but need everyone to do their part. All boaters and anglers should follow some simple precautions to prevent the spread of VHS and other invasive species in Wisconsin waters.

In addition, the following statewide rules apply to boaters, anglers and wild bait harvesters in Wisconsin.

• Boaters and Anglers
• Anglers who harvest wild bait for personal use
• People who harvest wild bait harvest for commercial use

For More Information from State of Wisconsin DNR

VHS Virus Explained

The VHS virus has been confirmed in Lake Winnebago and Little Lake Buttes des Morts.

Samples were taken from the Little Lake on May 2nd, 2007 and from Lake Winnebago on May 9th, 2007.

Both sets of samples yielded positive results.

Open the following as a Word or PDF document.

VHS Emergency Ruling - WDNR's ruling to curb the spread of the VHS virus.

WDNR Actions - What the DNR is doing to control the virus.

VHS Q & As - What is VHS, questions and answers.

VHS Hand-out - Print out telling what we need to do to help stop the advancement of the virus. You can print this and post for others to read. Great for docks, marinas, etc.

VHS Explanation Link - Click this link to open a PDF that will help explain the virus and how it got here. This was done by the USDA, veterinary services branch.