Contaminants to be removed from Wis. River

STEVENS POINT — A portion of Pfiffner Pioneer Park is planned to close for about a month this year so Wisconsin Public Service can remove contamination from the bottom of the Wisconsin River.

The area previously was the site of a coal gassification plant run by WPS in the early 1900s that closed around 1940. Petroleum-based contaminants ran through the area, were pulled into the river and settled on the river bed near the Riverfront Arts Center, said Community Development Director Michael Ostrowski.

The company now plans to dig up and remove some of the contaminated muck and dirt, he said.

Studies completed over the last 20 years show the contaminants aren't harmful to people, said Brian Bartoszek, a manager of remediation and waste with WPS. People who swim or participate in other water activities on the river faced no immediate danger, and the same goes for birds and fish, he said.

The danger, he said, is to microscopic organisms at the bottom of the food chain that live in the sediment. If they can't thrive, fish won't inhabit the area because there will be nothing for them to eat.

"The contamination that we're after does not really harm fish per se," he said. "It harms the food that fish feed on."

The dredging will take place near the bridge in the park, and that area will be closed while the process goes on, said Public Works Director Scott Schatschneider. The company will use controls to protect the rest of the water while it cleans out the area so other people can still enjoy the park and the water, he said.

Bartoszek said WPS plans to begin work in early October and finish by Thanksgiving.

The proposed dredging is coming before the city for approval because it will take place within city property, Schatschneider said. The city will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday on the request for a permit to do the clean-up.

Sari Lesk can be reached at 715-345-2257 and slesk@stevenspointjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter as @Sari_Lesk.