ASHTABULA - - Contaminated sediment from the Ashtabula River has migrated downstream into a portion of the harbor, requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take more samplings this summer, officials said Monday.

When the corps dredge these sediments from the harbor, it must be contained within a suitable upland disposal facility, such as the landfill constructed for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes Legacy Act-funded project.

"(The Corps 2005 sampling shows) the top layer of sediment in a portion of the Ashtabula harbor migrated from the river," said Bill Pioli, corps project manager. "It's the same material the EPA is cleaning up now."

An earlier sampling, taken in 2003, showed a low degree of contamination; however, the 2005 sampling showed higher than usual polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) contamination, he said.

"Future testing will determine the extent of the contamination (in the harbor)," he said. "It will also pin down the scope and expense of the cleanup."

For the past decade, the corps have been working with other agencies to eliminate contamination in the Great Lakes area. The main contaminants are PCBs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals.

Dredging to resume in a week or two

By SHELLEY TERRY

Staff Writer

sterry@starbeacon.com

ASHTABULA - - The dredging of the Ashtabula River will resume in a week or two, officials from the Environmental Protection Agency and Ashtabula River Partnership said Monday.

The goal of the project is to help Lake Erie by restoring some of Ohio's most polluted rivers, said Phillippa Cannon, EPA spokesman.

The $50 million cleanup is being paid for by the Great Lakes Legacy Act, the Ashtabula Port Authority and it's partners. By the end of the year, more than 500,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment will be removed from the Ashtabula River.

The dredging began in September and continued 24 hours a day, seven days a week through early December, thanks to unseasonably warm weather. Along with polluted mud, dredge operators dug up trees, stumps, bicycle wheels and several cowhides from the river bottom, said Rick Brewer of the River Partnership.