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Ashtabula River Area of Concern
Background
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The Ashtabula River lies in extreme northeast Ohio, flowing into Lake Erie's central basin at the city of Ashtabula. Its drainage basin covers an area of 137 square miles, with 8.9 square miles in western Pennsylvania. Major tributaries include Fields Brook, Hubbard Run and Ashtabula Creek. Iroquois inhabitants referred to the river as the Hash-tah-buh-lah or “river of many fish." The city of Ashtabula, with an estimated population of 21,633 (Ref: 1990 Census) is the only significant urban center in the watershed, the rest of the drainage basin being predominantly rural and agricultural. There is concentrated industrial development around Fields Brook and east of the river mouth.
From the 1940s through the late '70s, unregulated discharges and mismanagement of hazardous waste caused the river's sediments seriously contaminated and degraded its biological communities. Regular dredging is being prevented due to the contaminated sediments, seriously impeding both commercial and recreational navigation. Since 1983, fish consumption advisory has been posted for the Area of Concern (AoC). In 1988, the Ashtabula River RAP Advisory Council agreed to focus upon an AoC defined as the lower two miles of the Ashtabula River, Ashtabula Harbor and the adjacent Lake Erie nearshore. A variety of agencies and organizations contribute to the Ashtabula River Remedial Action Plan (RAP) including the Ashtabula River Partnership, Ohio Sea Grant, Ashtabula Soil and Water Conservation District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), angler groups, local businesses and industries, marinas, port industries, local governments, economic development offices, Kent State University and unaffiliated citizens.
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Ashtabula River Beneficial Use Impairments Of the 14
beneficial uses
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The lower two miles of the Ashtabula River was designated an Area of Concern due to severe pollution problems. From the 1940s through the late 1970s, unregulated discharges and mismanagement of hazardous waste caused Ashtabula River sediments to become seriously contaminated and degraded its biological communities and threatens the communities in the Outer Harbor and Lake Erie. Major pollutants of concern are mercury, chromium, lead, zinc, and numerous chlorinated organic compounds, particularly PCBs, PAHs and low level radionuclides.
For further information on Ashtabula River beneficial use
impairments (BUI), see the RAP documents listed in the
Significant RAP Milestones section below.
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In 2005, Ohio EPA
completed a document offering guidance on developing
Delisting Targets for Ohio Areas of Concern
(PDF 1112Kb 85 pages). The document presents targets and potential
milestones based on existing Ohio EPA programs, rules, regulations,
policy and guidance. Ohio RAP groups are encouraged to use this
document to adopt targets and milestones specific to their Area of
Concern. Delisting the Ashtabula River AoC may also involve other
state and federal authorities including, but not limited to, CERCLA
- Natural
Resource Damage Assessment
(NRDA).
The Ashtabula River RAP process began in 1988 with
the establishment of the Ashtabula River RAP Advisory Council. Years
of unregulated discharge and mismanagement of hazardous wastes along
the river and Fields Brook (a Superfund site) seriously contaminated
sediments and degraded biological communities. The lower two miles
of the river and outer harbor comprise the Area of Concern (AoC).
The 1991 Stage 1 Report documented 6 of 14 beneficial uses impaired,
all related to contaminated sediments. Both the commercial and
recreational uses of the river were in danger of being shut down
because there was no disposal site for contaminated sediments if
they were dredged. An interim dredging project in 1993 removed
several feet of relatively uncontaminated surface sediments to keep
the recreational harbor open. An
Ashtabula
River Partnership
(ARP) was created in 1994 as a comprehensive, structured,
concentrated effort to get the river dredged, and as an alternative
to the impending designation of the river as an extension of the
Fields Brook superfund site. A coordinating committee was
established as well as several technical committees, and a local
coordinator was hired. A non-profit Ashtabula River Foundation was
incorporated in 1997 to manage financing for the river cleanup.
Since 1990, extensive sediment characterization studies have been
done, including: mapping of pollutant concentrations (particularly
PCBs); estimation of sediment volume to be removed; delineation of
PAH distribution; TCLP testing to ensure sediments did not qualify
as hazardous waste; screening for low level radioactive waste;
modeling sediment transport, scouring and deposition rates, sediment
dewatering, sediment additives. A creative mix of funding in excess
of $2.5 million from local partners, U.S. EPA, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (USACE), U.S. EPA-GLNPO and
Ohio EPA
provided seed funding for initial ARP formation, and allowed for
preparation of a final Comprehensive Management Plan and
Environmental Impact Statement (CMP/EIS), detailed engineering
design of the disposal facility, and all the aforementioned studies.
Extensive reviews of all agencies’ authorities were conducted to
determine critical decision points and whose responsibility they
would be. The River Partnership continues to meet monthly and is
focused almost exclusively upon project implementation.
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Recent Progress and Achievements
* Approval of the Ashtabula River CMP/EIS was extended by the Assistant Secretary of the Army (a significant prerequisite prior to USACE funding). The CMP/EIS contains the remedial action plan, engineering design, schedule, budget, and support documentation for environmental dredging of 700,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediments. It is the first in the nation to be approved under Section 312 of the Water Resources Development Act that granted the Corps authority to conduct environmental dredging projects. Despite all these milestones, the list of USACE projects awaiting federal funding is lengthy, hence it is likely that many years will pass before the remedy is funded.
Current Projects and Outlook
Since the Great Lakes
Legacy Act project has been initiated, a rapid final design
phase will commence. Work will begin with acquisition of disposal
services and the construction of facilities for transferring and
dewatering dredged sediments. Dredging would begin in the second
year.
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The following historical documents may also be available from one of the Ashtabula River AoC Contacts listed below.
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The Ashtabula RAP Council and River Partnership share many
members in common, and accordingly collaborate on awareness,
educational and public involvement opportunities for the local
community. Both RAP and ARP presentations are made all year long to
civic, school, business, environmental and professional groups via
the Speakers Bureau. To schedule a talk from either group or obtain
information, interested parties may refer to the
Ashtabula River AoC Contacts at the end of this document.
Newsletters are mailed out to more than 500 stakeholders
semiannually. The RAP also participates in local events (cleanups,
festivals, etc.) with other groups whose focus is on the Ashtabula
River and Lake Erie and their resources.
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U.S. EPA RAP Liaison:
Rick Nagle
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5 Office of Regional Counsel
77 W. Jackson Blvd. (C-14J)
Chicago, IL 60604-3507
Tel: (312) 353-8222
Email: nagle.richard@epa.gov
U.S. EPA-GLNPO Contact:
Scott Cieniawski
U.S. EPA Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd. (G-17J)
Chicago, IL 60604-3507
Tel: (312) 353-9184
Email: cieniawski.scott@epa.gov
State RAP Contact:
Natalie Farber
Ashtabula River RAP Coordinator
Ohio EPA, Division of Surface Water
P.O. Box 1049
122 South Front Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215-1049
Tel: (614) 644-2143
Fax: (614) 644-2745
Email:
natalie.farber@epa.state.oh.us
Ashtabula River Partnership Contact:
Rick Brewer, Coordinator
1123 Bridge Street
Ashtabula, OH 44044
Tel: (440) 964-0277
Email: rbrewer@suite224.net
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