Infiltrex water sampler - Photo Credit: Jo Ann Banda

Filter from water sampler (analyzed for PCBs) - Photo Credit: Nicole Haas

The Ashtabula River was designated by the International Joint Commission as a Great Lakes Area of Concern due to contamination from polychlorinatedbiphenyls (PCBs) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In order to assess the effectiveness of dredging and removal of ~550,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment, environmental contaminants biologists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Ohio Ecological Services Office are coordinating with federal, state, and local partners. Along with personnel from ODNR, Ohio EPA and USEPA, contaminants biologists collected fish samples in April 2011 from the Ashtabula River and a reference site (Conneaut Creek) that will be used to evaluate fish advisories, community assemblages, and fish health. Environmental contaminants biologists also took high-volume water samples in the Ashtabula River in June 2011 and again in August 2011. Results will be compared to samples taken prior to dredging in 2001 that show both PCB and hexachlorabenzene (HCB) concentrations exceeded water quality criterion established by the State of Ohio for the protection of human health, with PCB concentrations also exceeding the State of Ohio criteria for protection of wildlife and exceeding the Great Lakes Water Quality Objective.