User:Hkorneffel/sandbox

Great Lakes Area of Concern
Due to environmental contamination, a portion of the river was designated a Great Lakes Area of Concern(AOC) under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1987. The Maumee covers 8,316 square miles and has the largest drainage area of any Great Lakes river. The Maumee AOC is contained within 775 square miles of the river and includes several creeks. The environmental problems were caused by sediment contamination and agricultural runoff. The runoff caused large amounts of phosphorus to enter the river, eventually leading to cultural eutrophication in Lake Erie. Sediments at the site contained high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals, which came from old dumps, contaminated industrial sites, combined sewer overflows and disposal of dredged materials.

A 2006 remedial action plan for the AOC identified 10 "beneficial use impairments" caused by the pollution:


 * Added costs to industry and agriculture, which was removed in 2015 due to no additional costs required to treat the water prior to agricultural and industrial use
 * Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption due to PCBs and heavy metals in sediments
 * Eutrophication or undesirable algae, which causes persistent water quality problems, such as nuisance algal blooms, decreased water clarity and decrease of dissolved oxygen in bottom waters
 * Degradation of fish and wildlife populations These levels are set based on what would be expected from the amount and quality of suitable physical, chemical and biological habitat present in the AOC.
 * Beach closings due to the potential for high bacteria levels caused by combined sewer overflows
 * Fish tumors or other deformities are caused by pollutants such as petroleum products and PCBs in the sediment and water.
 * Degradation of aesthetics Materials and events that might cause this include oil slicks, surface scum, combined sewer overflows, excessive dust or algal blooms.
 * Degradation of benthos, which was first documented in the 1950s and has been attributed to waste deposited old dumps, contaminated industrial sites, disposal of dredged materials and combined sewer overflows
 * Restriction on dredging activities Contaminants in sediment can get stirred up and reintroduced to the water column during dredging activities, which remove sediment and debris from the bottom of a lake or river.
 * Loss of fish and wildlife habitat Restoration actions can include removing stream barriers, enhancing shoreline complexity, removing invasive species or restoring wetlands.