EPA New England Regional Laboratory (Office of Environmental Measurement and Evaluation)

Connecticut River Fish Tissue Contaminant Study 2000

Graphic of the cover of the report. The Connecticut River Fish Tissue Contaminant Study (2000) was a collaborative federal and state project designed to provide a baseline of tissue contaminant data from several fish species, to better understand the risk to human health from eating Connecticut River fish, and to learn what threat eating these fish poses to other mammals, birds, and fish. The study is the first time that each state (Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont) can use data based on the same methods, to understand potential concerns stemming from contaminants in the river. This will help ensure that residents throughout New England are able to access the best and most recent information regarding whether to consume fish caught in the Connecticut River. The study will also assist future trend analysis and current statistical comparison, allowing ecological and human health risk screening in support of consistent State fish advisories. This was one of the first such studies of fish tissue contamination in the mainstem of a large, multi-state river in the United States.

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Presentation (10/30/06) (PDF) (65 pp, 4.7MB)
Chapter 1 - Table of Contents and Introduction (PDF) (62 pp, 2.7MB)
Chapter 2 - Mercury (PDF) (56 pp, 5MB)
Chapter 3 - PCBs and Dioxins (PDF) (58 pp, 2.5MB)
Chapter 4- Organochlorine Pesticides (71 pp, 2MB)
Chapter 5 - Weight, Length and Condition (PDF) (24 pp, 673K)
Chapter 6 - Smallmouth Bass Age, Total Hg, and Coplanar PCB TEQs (PDF) (35 pp, 1.2MB)
Chapter 7- Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations (PDF) (17 pp, 152K)
Chapter 8 - Bibliography, Internet Resources (PDF) (24 pp, 279K)

Appendix A - Fish Aging (PDF) (15 pp, 293K)
Appendix B - EPA-BRI Comparison (PDF) (12 pp, 351K)
Appendix C - Target Analytes and Contaminants (PDF) ( 9 pp, 285K)
Appendix D - Data Quality Reports
Appendix E - Standard Operating Procedures
Appendix F - Data

Map 1 - CT River Fish Tissue Sampling Reaches (Segments) (PDF) (1 pg, 561K)
Map 2 - CT River EPA Sediment Sampling 1998 and 2000 (PDF) (1 pg, 545K)

Q&A Fact Sheet (PDF) ( 6 pp, 1.9MB)

Appendix D - Data Quality Reports (PDF) (57 pp, 545K)

Appendix D-1 Total Mercury:

CT Fish Mercury DV Memo & Tables I & II (PDF) (8 pp, 213K)

CT Fish Data Validation Summary - Mercury Table (PDF) (6 pp, 48K, | MS Excel (48K))

Appendix D-2 Dioxins & Furans

Dioxins & Furans DV Memo & Table I & 2 (PDF) (9 pp, 166K)

Reaches 1 & 4 (PDF) (2 pp, 62K)

Reaches 5 & 7 (PDF) (2 pp, 61K)

Reaches 1, 4, 5 & 7 (MS Excel) (70K)

Appendix D-3 Dioxin-like Coplanar PCBs:

DV Memo & Tables I & II Coplanar PCBs (PDF) (9 pp, 221K)

Reach 3 Coplanar PCBs (PDF) (1 pg, 45K)

Reach 5 Coplanar PCBs (PDF) (1 pg, 45K)

Reach 6 Coplanar PCBs (PDF) (1 pg, 45K)

Validated Coplanar PCBs Reaches 3, 5 & 6 (MS Excel) (69K)

Appendix D-4 Organochlorine Pesticides & Non-coplanar PCBs:

DV Memo Organochlorine Pesticides & Non-coplanar PCB (PDF) (26 pp, 413K)

BT & SMB R1 (PDF) (1 pg, 44K)

Blanks (PDF) (1 pg, 45K)

SMB R1 & 2 (PDF) (1 pg, 46K)

SMB R2 & 3 (PDF) (1 pg, 44K)

SMB R3 & 4 (PDF) (1 pg, 44K)

SMB R6 & 7 (PDF) (1 pg, 44K)

SMB R7 - Organochlorine Pesticides & Non-coplanar PCBs (PDF) (2 pg, 44K)

SMB R7 - Organochlorine and Non-coplanar PCBs (PDF) (1 pg, 42K)

CT Fish Data Summary - Organochlorine Pesticides & Non-coplanar PCBs (MS Excel) (282K)

Appendix E: Standard Operating Proceedures

Fish Processing SOP (PDF) (19 pp, 835K)
Boat Electrofishing SOP - DRAFT (PDF) (27 pp, 1.2MB)

Appendix F: Data

Serving Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, & 10 Tribal Nations

Connecticut River Fish Tissue Contaminant Study 2000

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