Mississippi River Pool 4 foam not harmful

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Dredging activities in the Mississippi River near, Wabasha, Minnesota, are creating foam near the Crats Island unloading site. 

This naturally occurring foam, sometimes in the form of thin white lines or grey-brown floating clumps, is created by mixing of plant materials and the water during the dredging process. The foam can develop on windy and wavy days, too.  

The foam is not known to be harmful to people, pets or the ecosystem. It will eventually break down and disappear.  

The Crats Island dredging project involves removing 900,000 cubic yards of dredged material from the temporary placement site. The work is being performed by the Corps’ contractor, JF Brennan Marine, from La Crosse, Wisconsin. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017.  

The nearly 600 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the Corps’ Fiscal Year 2015 $100 million budget, nearly 1,600 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $155 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

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