LAKE & RIVER SEDIMENT QUALITY

1. LAKE & RIVER SEDIMENT QUALITY Fox Waterway Agency 45 S. Pistakee Lake Rd. Fox Lake, IL 60020 (847)587-8540 Fax (847)587-9742 www.foxwaterway.com To support the reuse of lake and river sediment, the Fox Waterway Agency (FWA) assures the quality of the soils through frequent testing. It is important to the Agency that materials that are available to the public are environmentally safe. While sediment sampling occurs as part of day-to-day operations, Hey and Associates, Inc. was retained in 2005 to specifically test for a wider range of parameters from dredged materials collected from several lakes. The lab results showed that for virtually all of the chemical constituents that have comparable Illinois EPA classifications, FWA sediments are in the “Low to Normal” range. While total Kjeldahl nitrogen and potassium crept into the “Elevated-Highly Elevated” range, both of these substances are plant nutrients for which higher levels are actually beneficial for landscape and horticultural purposes. Levels of constituents that are typically of concern--such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury--were all within “Normal” limits. By making dredged material available for reuse, landscapers and homeowners have been able to replenish depleted Illinois land, which demonstrates the value of these nutrient rich reclaimed Wisconsin soils.