Wisconsin’s Sheboygan River Community Gains 324 Protected Acres and Improved Public Recreation Access after Settlements
MAY 3, 2018 — On April 17, 2018, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin entered final consent decrees announcing three settlements, with three separate companies, in excess of $4.5 million for natural resource damages at the Sheboygan River and Harbor Superfund site.
The U.S. Department of Justice issued a press release on Dec. 12, 2017 announcing the settlements. These settlements resolve claims brought by NOAA and its co-trustees regarding liability for historic industrial discharges of chemicals that caused injury to public natural resources.
The settlements include two projects that protect 324 acres of unique habitat and improve public recreational access to natural resources. Funding from the settlements will also provide for future restoration projects at these and other sites. NOAA and the co-trustees will jointly manage the settlement funds to implement projects described in the restoration plan.
The Sheboygan River site encompasses the lower 14 river miles of the Sheboygan River, from Sheboygan Falls downstream to and including the Sheboygan Harbor on Lake Michigan, as well as adjoining floodplain areas.
To find out more about current and future restoration projects at the Sheboygan River and Harbor Superfund site, read the full story on the Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program site.
The settlements include projects that protect 324 acres of unique habitat and improve public recreational access to natural resources. (Image credit: NOAA.)