WPR: Red Cliff Band to remove barrels from Lake Superior

Wednesday, April 25, 2012  

"Several Department of Defense barrels containing ammunition parts dumped into Lake Superior during the Cold War will be recovered this summer. After four years of planning and investigation including an extensive side-scan sonar search over 96 square miles, crews will raise 70 of the Department of Defense drums from Lake Superior this summer. Lead by the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and funding from a DoD program to clean-up munitions dumps on Indian territory, this project has been talked about since it was first made public in the 1970's that some 1500 of these barrels are on the lake's bottom four miles from Duluth.

Removing the barrels will be tricky. Because they contain ammunition parts, it's not clear if there is any volatility left. Also, the 1960-era drums are rusty and contamination could spread if they break up as they're being raised."

Get the Story:
RED CLIFF BAND TO RAISE 70 DOD BARRELS DUMPED INTO LAKE SUPERIOR DURING THE COLD WAR (Wisconsin Public Radio 4/23)