U.S. EPA: Black River Area of Concern continues to improve its beaches

LORAIN — The Black River Area of Concern checked another item off its list of issues. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state allowed the Black River AOC to check off recreational use beach closings from its beneficial use impairment list, according to a news release Wednesday, leaving just three more items to completely remediate the area of concern by 2027. About 15 miles of the Black River, as well as where it opens into Lake Erie and the French Creek watershed, are listed as an area of concern due to issues caused by industrial uses along the riverbank over the years. It was first diagnosed with nine Beneficial Use Impairments, or BUI, in 1990, and has since remedied six, with beach closings the latest on the list. "After its history of industrial and urban use, the Black River has seen significant improvements in water quality, wildlife habitat and sedimentation that will provide a cleaner, more enjoyable environment for all," Ohio Lake Erie Commission Executive Director Joy Mulinex said in a news release. The Ohio Lake Erie Commission, state EPA and local Black River Area of Concern committee requested that the beach closings BUI be removed earlier this year, after efforts to reduce bacterial contamination at Lakeview and Century beaches. That included reducing contamination sources and making improvements to nearby wastewater infrastructure, according to a U.S. EPA news release. "The Black River beaches are now equivalent to other beaches along the shores of Lake Erie," Don Romancek, Black River AOC Advisory Committee chairman, said in a release. "This progress highlights our accomplishments in distancing the Black River AOC from its contaminated past while demonstrating the resiliency of nature and community when resources are utilized, and decisions are made with everyone's needs in mind." Ohio Lake Erie Commission program administrator Kristina Patterson said the delisting means the beaches at Lakeview and Century parks no longer are as bad as they were when the Black River AOC was designated in the 1990s. The beaches may still be closed temporarily by the Lorain County Metro Parks due to spikes in bacteria or algal blooms along the shore. The Ohio Department of Health, along with local health departments and parks, regularly monitor E. coli levels and temporarily close beaches when there is an increased risk of exposure to the bacteria. Since 2017, the beneficial use impairments removed include restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption, fish tumors or other deformities, restrictions on navigational dredging, undesirable algae and degradation of aesthetics. Still on the list is degradation of benthos (small organisms that live in the river bed), degradation of fish and wildlife populations and loss of fish and wildlife habitat. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.