Dredging Away Jobs in Wisconsin

Many years ago, the Fox River in Wisconsin suffered from dumping of pollutants. Although the river has been cleaned up dramatically, there have been fears about residual pollutants buried deep in its sediments. Environmental activists have been so successful in stirring up these fears that now Wisconsin industries along the river are being forced to pay nearly $1 billion to literally stir up the buried pollutants by dredging the river. Sadly, there is no scientific evidence that this will improve the environment. In fact, it is likely to bring buried pollutants back into the ecosystem. And what about the marine life that depends on the river bottom? Isn't dredging up the bottom of the river bound to be a terribly invasive approach that will harm many forms of life in the river? Isn't the loss of several hundred jobs in the local economy due to the punitive costs of dredging something that should be avoided unless there is a scientifically sound, compelling reason behind it?

I took the photo below a few days ago from Highway 441 in the Town of Menasha (near Appleton) as the highway approaches Little Lake Butte des Morts on the Fox River. The photo shows a place where the dredged up river sediments are being stored, apparently in large water-proof bags. It all seems so terribly wasteful, unnecessary and harmful to the environment. But for some people, anything that punishes industry in the name of the environment is good - regardless of the lack of science behind the scheme, or the actual environmental impact.

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