THE ASHLAND SUPERFUND PROJECT...WORTH A LOOK!

ASHLAND LAKEFRONT ENVIRONMENTAL SUPERFUND PROJECT

COAL TAR CONTAMINATED SOIL ON LAND...

...AND DREDGED FROM THE BAY...

...IS HEAT TREATED AND TRUCKED TO THIS HUGE TENT BUILDING...

WHERE IT IS PROCESSED INTO CLEANSED SOIL,  TO BE REPLACED  ON THE SITE

Saturday,  8:30 AM.  70 degrees F, wind variable with some gusts.  The sky is overcast and we had a trace of rain last night.  The humidity is 90% and the barometer is trending up, now at 29.85".  It should clear as the day goes on.
   The City of Ashland was a major Northern Wisconsin shipping and industrial site for a hundred years, up until the mid-20th Century.  Coal for steam ships and railroad engines was stored on the lakefront site, and over time the soil was contaminated by coal tar, which also leached into the waters offshore.  A few years ago this area was designated an environmental super fund cleanup site and the work is now underway.  It is a monumental project and is worth a look if in the area.
   I don't know that that much about the process, but it seems pretty straightforward.  The contaminated soil is dug up or, if  on the lake bottom dredged and put on barges, then transferred to a giant "cooker" and the coal tar eliminated.  The cleansed soil is then transported by truck to an enormous nearby rigid tent building the size of a couple of football fields, where it is screened to remove debris and further processed.  It is then eventually returned as clean soil to the locations from which it came.
   The operation is not easily visible from U.S. Hwy. 2 which traverses Ashland along the lakeshore, but a good look can be garnered if one turns toward the lake at the intersection of US 2 and state Hwy. 13 downtown.  If one is still more curious, the building (I think it is something of an engineering marvel) can be seen at the nearby Kreher Park boat dock.
   We often read or hear about environmental projects that seem obtuse or of dubious value.  This one is straightforward and understandable to the average viewer. The EPA should be giving tours, it would improve their image.