EPA Removes Ohio’s Ashtabula River from Binational List of Areas of Concern

[DGUtley]

EPA Removes Ohio’s Ashtabula River from Binational List of Areas of Concern on the Great Lakes

Nearly $70 million for cleanup and restoration results in Ohio’s first area of concern delisting


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ASHTABULA, Ohio (August 19, 2021) –Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Ashtabula River has been removed from the binational list of the Great Lakes’ most environmentally degraded areas after decades of work. In the 1980s, the United States and Canada identified 43 “Areas of Concern” on the Great Lakes affected by historical contamination dating back over many decades. The Ashtabula River is the sixth AOC to be delisted in the United States and first of four in Ohio.


“Today is a momentous occasion for the residents of Ashtabula, for Ohioans who enjoy Lake Erie, and for the larger Great Lakes region,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who played an instrumental role in the Ashtabula River clean-up process while serving in the U.S. Senate. “The river’s removal from this list is further proof that public-private partnerships, hard work, and long-term determination are the investments needed to improve Ohio’s waters and ensure that they can be enjoyed today and for future generations.”
Between 2006 and 2013, U.S. EPA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Ohio EPA, the city of Ashtabula, and industrial partners led several projects to remove contaminated sediment from the bottom of the Ashtabula River and to restore habitat. The cleaner river bottom helps make fish healthier and a restored shoreline improves the habitat for fish and wildlife. Dredging has provided a deeper navigational channel allowing more recreational and commercial boats to access the river. In total, more than 620,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment containing 14,000 pounds of PCBs were removed from the river and over 2,500 linear feet of fish habitat were created. A ground-breaking public-private partnership invested nearly $70 million in sediment remediation and habitat restoration projects.


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https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa...rn-great-lakes

[carolina73]

The odd part is that I cannot find the source listed for the PCBs anywhere. I never thought of Ashtabula as being very industrial.
The only reference I saw, was 19 Industries were contributing toward the cleanup with a demand for global immunity against further claims.