It is truly wonderful to come together with all our partners to celebrate the completion of a 23-year effort to clean up contaminated
​sediment, restore habitat, further economic revitalization through marina development, and remove the stigma of the Black Lagoon.
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- Jerry Brown, City of Trenton Mayor, 2007

The sediment cleanup in Black Lagoon is complete!

Before its cleanup, Black Lagoon was severely impacted by historical contamination from upstream industries, limiting activities like fishing, swimming, and boating. A Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA) sediment cleanup was completed in 2005, removing 116,000 cubic yards of pollutants from Black Lagoon.

Using other funding sources, the City of Trenton restored the shoreline along Black Lagoon and built a marina. In 2007, the city and its many partners celebrated the impact of the remediation and restoration by renaming Black Lagoon as "Ellias Cove." The name is in honor of the family who donated the adjacent land to the City of Trenton that became Meyer Ellias Park. 

Location

Black Lagoon is a 3.5 acre cove of relatively still water in the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River. Black Lagoon lies within the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and is surrounded by a city park to the west, residential properties to the south, and a defunct steel mill to the north. 

The Black Lagoon GLLA sediment cleanup site is located within the Detroit River Area of Concern.

Cleanup Process

Sediment remediated: 116,000 cubic yards
Contaminants: PCBs, mercury, oil and grease
Method: Mechanical dredging and a sand and stone cover
When: 2004-2005
Partners: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality 
Cost: $8.7 million
Notes: Dredged sediment was transported by barge to Pointe Mouillee disposal facility.

Long-term Benefits

• ​The cleanup reduced exposure risk for humans, fish, and wildlife to PCBs, mercury, and oil and grease in Black Lagoon.

• The cleanup improved aquatic habitat in Black Lagoon and the Trenton Channel of Detroit River, providing better food and shelter for native species. 

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• The removal of contaminated sediment improved the aesthetics of Black Lagoon. 

More Information

Documents and Resources
Black Lagoon final report (PDF, 88p, 24MB) October 2007
​Project completion fact sheet (PDF, 2p, 485KB) November 2005
Project start fact sheet (PDF, 2p, 328KB) September 2004

Stakeholders
City of Trenton
​Friends of the Detroit River 
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency