The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa says military waste barrels retrieved from Lake Superior contain active explosives.
The Red Cliff issued a preliminary report on the its effort to locate, raise and test the contents of the barrels that were dumped in the lake a half-century ago. The band's contractor, EMR of Duluth, located and extracted 25 barrels. The Red Cliff say the active explosives do not pose human health or environmental concerns.
The 25 barrels were recovered between July 30 and Aug. 13 and included either parts from cluster bombs or a composite of incinerated metal. The band said all recovered materials are securely stored, but provided no further details.
The Duluth News Tribune says the $3.3 million project was funded by the U.S. Defense Department.
