The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has released an updated clean-up plan for a 2,200 acre reef in Lake Superior that's been contaminated as a result of mining in the western Upper Peninsula. The DNR now estimates will be around $2 billion.
The contaminants known as stamp sands have littered the shoreline and beaches of Buffalo Reef on the Keweenaw Peninsula for decades, causing significant environmental damage.
Marc Gaden is the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
He said the contamination is covering the natural lake bottom and is harming fish populations across the region.
"And fish would need that habitat for spawning or for feeding or for just going about their business, and it does move around with the current. It's a major inhibitor to the healthy fisheries," Gaden said.
In a statement, the DNR says it wants to remove the stamp sands and place them in a landfill, as opposed to building an in-lake barricade.
The Michigan DNR is a financial supporter of WCMU.
