Fox River cleanup plan announced.The U.S Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and (EPA EPA eicosapentaenoic acid. EPA abbr. eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, n.pr See acid, eicosapentaenoic. EPA, n. ) and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is an agency of the state of Wisconsin. Its purpose is to preserve, protect, manage and maintain the natural resources of the state[1]. (DNR See dynamic noise reduction and domain name resolver. ) have together announced plans for the removal of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB PCB: see polychlorinated biphenyl. PCB in full polychlorinated biphenyl Any of a class of highly stable organic compounds prepared by the reaction of chlorine with biphenyl, a two-ring compound. ) contaminants in a 39-mile section of the lower Fox River. Approximately 65,000 pounds of PCB sediment currently contaminate the silt of the river, which is a water source to the highest concentration of paper mills in the U.S. The PCBs were dumped in the river from 1954 to 1971 as a by product of carbonless paper production. Seven paper companies (collectively known as the Fox River Group) are being held responsible for the contamination. They are Appleton Papers Inc., NCR, Fort James Corp. (now Georgia-Pacific Corp.), P.H. Glatfelter Co., Riverside Paper Corp., Wisconsin Tissue Mills Inc. (now WTM1), and U.S. Paper Mills Corp. Georgia-Pacific Corp., which assumed responsibility for the Fort James spillage, together with Appleton Papers Inc., have already allocated money to the NDR and EPA to start the cleanup. The funds were used for "sample dredging" to test certain techniques and for the purchase of land bordering the riverbanks. |
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