Munger Boat Landing Closing For Cleanup Project

DULUTH, Minn.– The Munger boat landing, located on the St. Louis river, will be closing for a two year environmental estuary clean-up project.

Starting July 5th and continuing through the fall of 2024. The Munger boat launch, and its parking lot, will no longer be available to the public.

Crews will be working to improve the estuary habitat by removing historical industrial waste and sediments.

“It’s important to the community really because the contamination that is in the estuary has inhibited or impaired the use of it for so many years. This will be one more project that will hopefully eliminate some of those impairments, and allow people in our community to use the estuary to its full potential,” City of Duluth Senior Parks Planner, Cliff Knettel, said.

Despite this being a temporary loss to the community, there will be a plethora of benefits. By removing chemicals, sediments, and waste from the river, they hope to revitalize the area, along with many others.

“It’s incredibly important, not only cleaning up the contamination and improving this particular location, but this is one step of many locations along the estuary that the different partners are looking to clean up,” Knettel said.

In a combined effort with the Environmental Protection Agency, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and other industry partners. This project is looking to not only improve the environmental state of the area, but bring in new recreational amenities. Looking to bring it to its full potential.

“With the removed impairments, it opens up a lot of new opportunities. People will be able to use the shoreline for recreation of boating, paddling, swimming. There will be new amenities at this location for picnicking. Just a lot more opportunities in general for people in the community to use,” Cliff Knettel said.

Use of the boat landing will not be recommended, under any terms, as construction carries on.

During this closure, alternative access to the Minnesota side of the St. Louis River will be available at the Boy Scout Landing, Park Point, and Rice’s Point.