Legacy Act links

Tannery Bay Removal status

40,000 cubic yards of 40,000 cubic yards have been removed as of August 21 2007
Tannery Bay removal status August 21 2007 40,000 of 40,000 cubic yards

St. Marys River / Tannery Bay (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan)

Authorized Legacy Act Project Site

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Phelps Dodge Corp. along with the state of Michigan will share the costs of an $8 million cleanup project on Tannery Bay, a polluted bay west of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Chromium and mercury from a former tannery polluted the bay, which is on St. Marys River, the connecting channel between lakes Superior and Huron. St. Marys River is a joint U.S.-Canadian “area of concern,” which marks the region for special environmental attention. Dredging on Tannery Bay should begin in August and be completed late this fall.

The project is being paid for by using $4.8 million in federal Great Lakes Legacy Act funds. Phelps Dodge, which owns the former Cannelton Industries tannery property, will contribute $2.6 million. Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, through the state’s Clean Michigan Initiative, will provide $600,000 in funding.

The pollution is mainly byproducts from the Northwestern Leather Co. tannery that operated from 1900 to 1958. When the tannery was operating, waste was dumped into ditches and flowed into the bay where it settled in the mud (sediment).

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.

Project Agreement
Great Lakes Legacy Act Project Agreements (PAs) are negotiated agreements between U.S. EPA and the non-federal partner (s). A Project Agreement describes the project scope, the roles and responsibilities of all partners, and the cost sharing for the project.

Cleanup Work Completed at Tannery Bay Site, September 2007 (PDF 132 Kb, 2 pages)
Dredging of St. Marys River/Tannery Bay to resume, News Release - 06/05/2007
Project Agreement to construct the Tannery Bay Sediment Remediation and Restoration Project (PDF 66 Kb 19 pages)
Fact sheet: Tannery Bay Dredging Will Remove Pollution (PDF 181kb, 2 pages)
Tannery Bay Legacy Act Site/St. Marys River Area of Concern
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, July 2006