The Burnham Canal site, located between N. 16th St. and S. 11th St. on the Menomonee River, was once a wetland. Starting in 1846, industrial activity in the area increased, including metal recycling operations and use of the site as a shipping channel. These uses no longer remain, but they have left behind soil and sediment contamination requiring clean-up. Superfund remediation was completed in 2021, but work is still needed to restore the site to a wetland. The Burnham Canal will need to go through a multi-step process by creating a stable wetland base with clean gravel, sand and soil, and later wetland plants on top to finish the project. The first step in this process, placing stone material to create the wetland base was completed in 2022. Check out the Factsheet to learn more.
Additional updates on project status will be provided here as they become available.