Environmental Concerns
The industrial nature of the mainstem area has caused considerable pollution in the river. Much of the pollution has left the ecosystem via the natural river flow, but it is estimated that 750,000 cubic yards (573,416 m³) of river bed and shoreline sediment over a 30 mile (48.2 km) stretch of the mainstem from Leavittsburg to the Pennsylvania border is so heavily polluted that it will need to be remediated. Approximately 45% of this material is located in the vicinity of the Girard Dam near Girard, Ohio which has acted as a trap for much of the contaminated sediment.
Petroleum hydrocarbons, benzo(a)pyrene (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), and mercury have all been found in quantities several times the maximum safe levels. Since 1988, the Ohio Department of Health has maintained an advisory against swimming or wading in the river between Leavittsburg and the Pennsylvania border and advises against eating fish caught there. The Corps of Engineers estimates that the remediation will take up to 15 years to complete and cost in excess of US$100 million. If approved, the dredging project will probably begin in the late 2010s.
Cities and towns along its course include:
- Winona, Ohio
- Alliance, Ohio
- Sebring, Ohio
- Newton Falls, Ohio
- Leavittsburg, Ohio
- Warren, Ohio
- Niles, Ohio
- McDonald, Ohio
- Girard, Ohio
- Youngstown, Ohio
- Campbell, Ohio
- Struthers, Ohio
- Lowellville, Ohio
- Poland, Ohio
- New Castle, Pennsylvania
Read more about this topic: Mahoning River
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