River work doesn't end in winter

Star Beacon

February 02, 2007 07:15 am

— By SHELLEY TERRY

Staff Writer
sterry@starbeacon.com
ASHTABULA - - Brrrr! The $50 million environmental cleanup in the Ashtabula River is pretty cold work these days.
Winter weather stopped the dredging, but workers continue to take mud and water samples from the bottom of the river.
"This is to assist in upgrading the water treatment system and to give the Environmental Protection Agency a better idea of the different kinds of sediments workers will be dredging this year, said Scott Cieniawski, an EPA Great Lakes National Program Office environmental engineer.
"This is so we can ensure system operations are sufficiently robust to handle the full range of sediments we'll encounter," he said.
The dredging began in September and continued 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through November. The dredging then shuts down for the winter and will resume in March or April, depending on the weather, said Rick Brewer of the Ashtabula River Partnership.
The project is expected to be completed next fall.
The dredging is necessary because, for the past 30 years, industries discharged contaminates into the river's 137-square-mile drainage basin.
The river was last dredged in 1962 and is polluted with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In addition, the river bottom is polluted with low-level radioactive materials, heavy metals, and oil and grease, Cieniawski said.
A hydraulic dredge is being used to remove the sediment, creating a slurry of mud and water. The mixture is then pumped through a 3-mile double-lined pipeline to a disposal and water treatment facility on State Road.
The EPA is paying $25 million toward the cleanup, with the state paying $7 million and companies that polluted the river, paying $18 million.
City Manager Anthony Cantagallo hopes the dredging will bring more recreational boating and fishing to the area.
Right now, the water is 3 feet to 1 1/2-feet deep where it's supposed to be 18 feet deep, he said.
Contaminated sediment is one of the reasons many Lake Erie fish no longer are safe to eat in large quantities. This has been a problem throughout all the Great Lakes.
Star Beacon Print Edition: 1/30/2007

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