A 1.3-mile section of the river dredged last year as part of a cleanup effort funded by WCI Steel

A 1.3-mile section of the river dredged last year as part of a cleanup effort funded by WCI Steel remains contaminated with chemicals. The contamination, however, may not have been caused by the steel company, officials said. WCI paid for the cleanup of the river near the Main Street Bridge in Warren to settle lawsuits filed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A report conducted by the corps this summer shows oil level in the sediment near the bridge is about twice the amount considered safe for aquatic life. That contamination could have been caused by chemicals flowing into the Main Street bridge area from upstream, said Mike Saffran, the project manager for the corps' sediment report. WCI also only dredged sediment from the riverbed, while the corps report includes sediment along the river banks.
Corps biologist Rosemary Reilly said the primary pollutant in the river water is sewage. A report by Dr. Donald Stoeckel of the U.S. Geological Survey shows that in the late 1990s, the Mahoning River received sewage overflow from 101 sources within Youngstown. The EPA sued the city over the sewage discharges in 1998. Last year, the city settled the lawsuit by agreeing to pay for about $12 million in sewer system work. Sewer rates were increased to pay for the work. Reilly said except for sewage, the water quality is good.
A variety of fish can be found throughout the Mahoning River, according to Jamie Krejsa, vice president of Enviro Science Inc. in Stow. Enviro Science assisted the corps with a study of the fish this summer. Krejsa noted, however, that many of the fish found in the river have tumors or lesions. Corps biologist Deborah Duda said the study also shows the fish population is not doing well and has not improved since 1994, when the Ohio EPA conducted an assessment. The population of invertebrates like larvae in and along the river also is not doing well and has not improved since 1994, Duda said. She also noted, however, that the corps' study this summer shows that the fish habitat in the river is good.
The corps also has conducted a study of the river's velocity and elevation. The study will be used to determine how dredging will affect the river.