Great Lakes
Site Information
- Erie, PA (Erie County)
- AOC Boundary Map (PDF) (1 pg, 500K)
- Presque Isle Bay Shape file (ZIP) (29K)
Contact
U.S. EPA RAP Liaison
John Perrecone
(perrecone.john@epa.gov)
312-353-1149
State RAP Contact
Lori Boughton
(lboughton@state.pa.us)
814-332-6879
Director, Office of the Great Lakes
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
301 Peninsula Drive, Suite 4
Erie, PA 16505
Presque Isle Bay Area of Concern
Contents
February 2013 - The Presque Isle Bay Area of Concern has been taken off the list of the most polluted places around the Great Lakes. The decision was made by the U.S. Department of State in consultation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the International Joint Commission and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania after reviewing the success of various cleanup activities in the bay.
Removing Presque Isle Bay from the AOC list does not mean that the bay is completely clean or that work will stop. EPA will continue to collaborate with Pennsylvania and the community to monitor and improve water quality in the bay after the formal delisting process. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will evaluate the levels of fish tumors and the sediment quality objectives related to the delisting and ecosystem health targets in their approved Remedial Action Plan. Some external tumors will be seen on fish caught near Presque Isle. Should the incidence of external tumors increase in ways that cause concern, agencies can consider further action using the existing statutory and regulatory authorities.
- Fact Sheet: Presque Isle Bay Removed from Great Lakes Area of Concern List (PDF) (2pp, 207K)
- News Release: Presque Isle Bay Removed from Great Lakes “Area of Concern” List; Second Area in U.S. to be Delisted - February 2013
Background
In January 1991, Presque Isle Bay was designated as the 43rd AOC by the State Department in response to concerns raised by the local community. Waste disposal practices before state and federal regulatory programs were established had resulted in the discharge of industrial and domestic wastewater into the bay or to its streams and tributaries. This contaminated the bay with pollutants including excessive nutrients, organic compounds and heavy metals.
The city of Erie made changes to its wastewater collection, conveyance and treatment system that reduced sewer overflow and stormwater runoff into the bay. Over time, the city’s waterfront became more commercial and less industrial. In 2002, improvements in the health of the local fish population and natural sediment led to the bay being designated as an AOC in the recovery stage.
Through the Remedial Action Plan process, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Presque Isle Bay Public Advisory Committee identified two major impairments in the bay: Fish tumors or other deformities, and restrictions on dredging. An evaluation identified two main pollutants in the sediment – heavy metals such as nickel, lead and cadmium, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. Fish tumors and other deformities were believed to be related to the sediment contamination.
Recent progress and achievements
Sediment
Sediment in the bay now contains relatively low levels of PAHs and fewer heavy metals. Generally, the concentrations of contaminants were found to be uniform throughout the bay and no specific hot spots were defined. After comprehensive review, EPA and Pennsylvania removed the dredging restrictions impairment in 2007.
Fish
Over the last 20 years, federal, state and local agencies examined the fish population of Presque Isle Bay, in particular the native brown bullhead catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus). The bay’s bullheads were checked for liver tumors and external growths and deformities. Subsamples of these fish were autopsied and tissue was examined for the presence of tumors.
While the rate of external growths remains a problem throughout Lake Erie, the rates of fish liver tumors in the bay declined to the point where they are the same as the least impacted reference site in the Lake. For this reason, the fish tumor impairment was removed.
RAP Development and Actions
The Stage 1 RAP, completed in 1993, evaluated information from an ecosystem study and identified two beneficial use impairments. The RAP also provided the framework for prioritized ecosystem restoration and management activities to be conducted, coordinated, or sponsored by the PADEP.
The 1995 RAP Update provided revisions and new information to supplement the Stage 1 RAP. It also responded to comments on the RAP received from the International Joint Commission and USEPA.
The 2002 RAP Update recommended that the Presque Isle Bay Area of Concern be designated in the Recovery Stage. This document summarizes the results of studies on the two beneficial use impairments and the work done by numerous organizations in the Bay and its watershed that led to the recommendation for a change in designation.
The Stage 3 RAP was completed in 2012 and the AOC was delisted in 2013.
RAP Actions
- 2012 - 2013: Stage 3 RAP completed and AOC delisted.
- 2002: Presque Isle Bay becomes the first U.S. AOC to achieve the Recovery Stage designation.
- 2002: Presque Isle Bay Remedial Action Plan Update (PDF) (96pp, 10.38MB) completed.
- 1995: Presque Isle Bay Remedial Action Plan Update (PDF) (54pp, 2.41MB) completed.
- 1992: Presque Isle Bay Remedial Action Plan (PDF) (348pp, 11.57MB) completed.
- 1991: Presque Isle Bay is listed as an AOC. The Presque Isle Bay Public Advisory Committee was established.
- 1989: The City of Erie
entered into a Consent Decree with PADEP to upgrade its wastewater treatment, collection, and conveyance system including the elimination of Combined Sewer Overflows in the City’s system.
- 1984: Fishermen report strange growths on Presque Isle Bay brown bullheads to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Community Involvement
The Presque Isle Bay Public Advisory Committee (PAC) provided advice to PADEP in developing a Remedial Action Plan to restore beneficial uses in the Bay. As a community partnership, the PAC’s mission is to enhance and protect the environmental quality and economic vitality of the Bay and its watershed. Members represent all sectors of the community, including local, state and federal agencies, environmental and civic organizations, academia and industry.