An ongoing Clean Water Act and NRDA case has been settled for $3.25 million with the intent to establish a trust to restore mussels, snails and fish in the Ohio River. The case dates back to 1999, when large fish and mussel kills were documented near Parkersburg, W.Va. Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge aquatic resources were directly affected. The U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the states of West Virginia and Ohio joined together in the suit against Elkem Metals and Eramet Marietta, Inc.

One of the major beneficiaries of the restoration is the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

Over the past six years, refuge staff, especially biologist Patricia Morrison, spent hundreds of hours assisting in the development of the case by collecting specimens, monitoring mussel beds, and serving as a fact witness and expert for the United States. Refuge staff will also assist in restoration planning and implementation with its partners on the trustee council.

Of the total settlement, $2,040,000 is targeted for restoration, while $460,000 is to reimburse the Service and its partners for investigative costs, and $750,000 will go toward the Clean Water Act violations.