Legacy Act links

Ashtabula Removal status

Completed: 497,000 cubic yards of 497,000 cubic yards have been removed as of October 14, 2007

Ashtabula, Ohio Project

Authorized Legacy Act Project Site

Work has been completed on the cleanup of the Ashtabula River, a project to remove 25,000 pounds of hazardous PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and other contaminants from the river bottom. It is the first cleanup project in Ohio funded by the federal Great Lakes Legacy Act, and the largest of the four Legacy Act projects funded to date.

Workers have removed about 497,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment and provided new habitat in the river. Because the sediment can flow into Lake Erie, removing it is good for the lake and the entire Great Lakes basin. A secondary benefit is a much deeper Ashtabula River, allowing for the return of normal commercial navigation and recreational boating in the river and harbor.

Half the funding of this $50 million project was from the Legacy Act and the other half from the Ashtabula City Port Authority in cooperation with other public and private entities, including the Ashtabula River Cooperation Group II, a group of private companies. The state of Ohio has provided $7 million for the project and numerous other organizations, including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will play important roles.

Pipeline to the landfill using double-walled pipe to prevent leaks.
Pipeline to the landfill.

Aerial view of the landfill, including a view of the geomembrane liner and the sand cover to protect the liner.
Aerial view of the landfill.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.

Ashtabula River Cleanup (May, 2008, PDF, 108Kb, 2 pages)
Dredging of Ashtabula River to resume this month, News Release 03/20/2007
Ashtabula River Sediment Disposal Landfill (September 12, 2006 138Kb, PDF 1 page)
Ashtabula River Cleanup Begins; Contaminated Sediment to be Removed (June 5, 2006 119Kb, PDF 2 pages)
Project Site Photos - Landfill Construction (May 30, 2006)
Ashtabula Project Site photos (December 2005)
Great Lakes Legacy Act Partnership Spurs River Cleanup Ashtabula River Area of Concern (PDF, 259 Kb, December 12, 2005)

EPA, state and local partners will fund $50 million cleanup of Ashtabula River; nation's largest Legacy Act cleanup (News Release December 12, 2005)