MAHONING RIVER Cleanliness standards to be set

A clean river could provide an economic boost to the area, an official said.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Local, state and federal officials were expected to determine today what will be considered clean when it comes to Mahoning River sediment.
"We know how dirty it is. What level do we have to clean it up to restore the ecosystem?" said Carmen Rozzi, project manager for the Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh office. "Exactly how clean is clean?"
Rozzi and other officials were slated to set standards for the cleanliness of the sediment at a meeting at the Holiday Inn on South Avenue. Chemicals and substances in the sediment would have to be below the standards before the sediment could be considered clean.
A report funded by the corps shows the sediment is contaminated by hundreds of substances and chemicals. Officials hope to reduce the levels of chemicals and substances in the sediment by dredging the river.
The corps is conducting a $3 million study to determine the feasibility of dredging 33 miles of the river between Leavittsburg in Trumbull County and the Pennsylvania line.
Setting standards
Officials said when setting the standards for the Mahoning River sediment, they will look at sediment standards from New York and Ohio standards for contaminated brownfields soil.
They also will compare the amount of chemicals in the sediment near Leavittsburg, where the ecosystem is considered healthy, with the amount of chemical contamination in the sediment near Pennsylvania.
The report shows that the levels of chemicals and substances in the sediment at the Pennsylvania end of the river, downstream from the location of many former steel mills, is several times higher than the amount found near Leavittsburg, upstream of the former mills.
Mike Saffran, the project manager for the sediment report, said steel mills and other industries dumped millions of gallons of oil into the river each year. Saffran discussed the report at a public meeting Wednesday.
He noted that other studies of the sediment will be conducted before the dredging project is complete.
Since 1988, the Ohio Department of Health has maintained an advisory against swimming or wading in the river between Leavittsburg and Pennsylvania or eating fish caught there. The dredging project will be designed to clean the river of contaminants so the department of health will lift the swimming and fishing ban.
Boost to economy
Rozzi said rivers can provide benefits to the economy and quality of life in a city. He noted that Cleveland, for instance, has received a boost by cleaning up a river.
Rozzi estimated that a clean Mahoning River could provide $29 million in economic benefits to Mahoning Valley communities each year.
The dredging project, which would cost an estimated $100 million and take 12 to 15 years, would call for the corps to remove about 750,000 cubic yards of sediment from the river and its banks. Rozzi said the corps and local officials are working on a strategy to obtain funding for the project.
Information about the project also is available on the corps' Web site.
The $3 million feasibility study is expected to be complete next fall.
hill@vindy.com
XVisit www.lrp.usace.army.mil/pm/mahonoh.htm on the Web for more information.