In 2018, EPA began sediment cleanups on Minnesota's St. Louis River; eight years later

Rivers have always been symbols of movement and sustenance, come what may. But years of industrial activity have polluted the waterway that has supported communities and wildlife.In northeastern Minnesota, the St. Louis River is beginning to tell a different story.

A major milestone was reached in May 2026, when the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), alongside the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and other partners, celebrated the completion of the final sediment cleanup project on the Minnesota side of the river. The latest project addressed 225,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment at Thomson Reservoir, bringing the total amount of contaminated sediment addressed across the wider St. Louis River restoration effort to more than 1.9 million cubic yards.According to the EPA, in an announcement dated May 26, 2026, the project marked the completion of all eight sediment cleanup projects on the Minnesota side of the St.

Louis River Area of Concern, an effort that began in 2018.A river carrying the weight of its industrial pastThe St.