Stage 1 – Addendum Report
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St. Clair River Remedial Action Plan Addendum Table of Contents Executive Summary Introduction Water Quality Sediment Quality Biota Sources Summary Of Data Gaps, Ongoing Programs And Surveys References List of Tables List of Figures Executive Summary This addendum report summarizes water, sediment, biota, point source and non-point source data for the St. Clair River Area of Concern (AOC) collected and/or reported subsequent to the release of the St. Clair River Remedial Action Plan Stage 1 Report (December 1991). Although the Stage 1 report incorporated some data from the 1988 through 1990 period, it primarily reflected conditions as of about 1986-87. Key data summarized in this addendum include water, sediment, and biota ambient data collected by OMOE in 1990 and 1991 as well as the results of the 12 month MISA monitoring studies for the organic and inorganic industrial sectors (1989 to 1991). In general, the 1990 and 1992 ambient data indicate significant improvements in the St. Clair River ecosystem compared to conditions reported in the Stage 1 report. In particular, the mean concentrations of most parameters in most media are lower and the number of exceedences of ambient guidelines have decreased. Chemicals which have reduced concentrations and fewer guideline exceedences include cadmium, chromium, zinc, oil and grease, total PCBs and OCS. In addition, the extent of the "impaired" and "degraded" zones in the river, based on benthic macroinvertebrate community structure, have been substantially reduced. However, impairments to beneficial uses continue to occur in the St. Clair River AOC. The industrial and municipal outfalls along the Sarnia/Chemical Valley waterfront, as well as the Cole Drain and Talfourd Creek, continue to be implicated as major sources of contaminants to the St. Clair River. This is shown by the close association of elevated concentrations of, and guideline exceedences by, nutrients, metals and non-pesticide organic contaminants (primarily PAHs, dioxins, furans, HCB, OCS, total phenols, bis-2-ethylhexyl-phthalate, oil and grease, and several volatiles) in most media along this waterfront relative to upstream and downstream locations. The Point Edward and Sarnia Water Pollution Control Plants have been identified as the most significant sources of fecal and other types of bacteria. Sarnia CSOs were also identified as an important wet weather source. Contaminants which generally have shown little or no reductions from 1985/86 to 1990/91 include fecal bacteria, ammonia, total phosphorus, iron, lead, copper and zinc. Mean mercury and total PCB concentrations show substantial declines, particularly in sediments, however, the number of sediment guideline exceedences for mercury has not changed. Over the same time period, the mean concentration of HCB in sediments has increased by 3 times (based on same station comparisons). In addition, the more recent data have found relatively high concentrations of PCDDs (dioxins) and PCDFs (furans) in both sediments and some industrial effluents. HCB, PCDD and PCDF sediment concentrations were highest along the Ontario shoreline in the reach from downstream of the Cole Drain, adjacent to Novacor Chemicals (Sarnia), to downsteam of Dow Chemical's 3rd Street Sewer. The greatest loadings of HCB are contributed by the Cole Drain and Dow Chemical. PCDDs and PCDFs were measured in the effluent from Dow Chemical, Chinook Chemicals and DuPont. Sections 1.1 through 1.3 summarize the date, location and degree of guideline exceedences based on data collected from 1989 through 1991. Section 1.4 summarizes the non-point and point source data for the same period. Section 1.5 provides an updated table showing the impairments to beneficial uses based on Table 1.1/7.1 presented in the Stage 1 document. For more information, select one of the following topics: Water Bottom Sediments Biota Sources Environmental Concerns/Use Impairments St Clair RAP Addendum Contents Executive Summary Water PARAMETER MOST STRINGENT YEAR and LOCATION of EXCEEDENCE GUIDELINE or OBJECTIVE1 (mg/L) (mg/L) Total Phosphorus GLWQA 5 1989-Talfourd Creek & St. Clair River (355; mean) 1990-Bluewater Bridge to Suncor (10-15; means) 1991-Walpole Is. WTP intake (36; max) Ammonia PWQS 20 1989-Talfourd Creek (130,160; max) 1990-Bluewater Bridge & Inner Harbour Fecal Bacteria EPA 33 org/100ml 1990-Bluewater Bridge to Suncor (50-8017; geometric means) Mercury EPA 0.00018 1990-offshore Suncor (0.03; max) Iron ALL 300 1987-1989-Lambton WTP intake (299.1; mean) 1989-Talfourd Creek & St. Clair River (577-2433;means) 1991-Walpole Is. WTP intake (420; max) Zinc GLWQA 10 1991-Lambton WTP intake (14.5; mean) Copper CCME 2 1990-Bluewater Bridge to Suncor (3-4; max) 1991-Lambton WTP intake (164; mean) 1991-Wallaceburg WTP intake (2.2; mean) Chromium CCME 2 1991-Lambton WTP intake (2.1; max) 1991-Wallaceburg WTP intake (3.5; max) Total Phenols PWQS 1 1991-Wallaceburg WTP intake (1.2; max) Octachlorstyrene OMOE 0.0001 1987-1989-Port Lambton (0.00013; mean) Total PCBs EPA 0.000003 1987-1989-Point Edward (0.0022; mean) 1987-1989-Port Lambton (0.0024; mean) Bis-2-ethylhexyl-phthalate PWQO 0.6 1990-Bluewater Bridge to Suncor (1.4-6.4; range) 1 EPA - Environmental Protection Agency; PWQO - Provincial Water Quality Objective; CCME - Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment; GLWQA - Great Lakes Water Quality Specific Objective Executive Summary Bottom Sediments PARAMETER MOST STRINGENT YEAR and LOCATION of EXCEEDENCE GUIDELINE or OBJECTIVE1 (mg/g) (mg/g) Oil & Grease EPA 1000 1989-Talfourd Creek (6% of samples) 1990-St. Clair River (2% of stations; 1772 - max Ontario; 1054 - max Michigan) Total Phosphorus EPA 420 1989-Talfourd Creek (720; max) Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen PASQG 1989-Talfourd Creek (1970; mean) 1990-St. Clair River (78% of stations; 1580 - max Ontario; 1950 - max Michigan) Arsenic EPA 3 1989-Talfourd Creek (8.83-9.10; means) 1990-St. Clair River (6.4 - max Ontario; 7.6 - max Michigan) Cadmium PASQG 0.6 1990-Downstream of Dow 3rd St. Sewer (6% of stations; 1.4 - max Ontario) Chromium PASQG 26 1989-Talfourd Creek (36.83; mean) 1992-St. Clair Delta distributaries (26; max) Copper PASQG 16 1989-Talfourd Creek (11.32-36.83; range) 1990-St. Clair River (39% of stations; 26.2±16.9 - mean; 140 - max Ontario; 72 - max Michigan) 1992-St. Clair Delta distributaries (32; max) Iron PASQG 10000 1989-Talfourd Creek (22,333; max) 1991-St. Clair River shipping channel (26,600; max) Lead PASQG 31 1989-Talfourd Creek (297.33; mean) 1990-St. Clair River (14% of stations; 62.7±15.2) Manganese EPA 300 1989-Talfourd Creek (480; max) 1990-St. Clair Delta distributaries (492; max) Mercury PASQG 0.2 1989-Talfourd Creek (0.3-0.7; means) 1990-St. Clair River (61% of stations; 4.92±3.47; 16 - max Ontario; 0.31 - max Michigan) 1992-St. Clair Delta distributaries (0.429; mean) Nickel PASQG 16 1989-Talfourd Creek (36.33; mean) 1990-St. Clair River (38% of stations; 30 - max Ontario; 55 - max Michigan) 1991-St. Clair River shipping channel (33; max) 1992-St. Clair Delta distributaries (33; max) Zinc EPA 90 1990-St. Clair River (2% of stations; 250 - max Ontario) Total Organic Carbon PASQG 1% 1989-Talfourd Creek (6.4-30.1%; means) 1990-St. Clair River (38% of stations; 28.1% - max Ontario; 39% - max Michigan) Total PCBs PASQG 0.07 1990-St. Clair River (8% of stations; 0.086±0.289; 2.022 - max Ontario) 1992-St. Clair Delta distributaries; (0.0854-0.1400; max) Total PAHs PASQG 2 1990-St. Clair River (14% of stations; 54.26 - max Ontario; 8.50 - max Michigan) Hexachlorobenzene PASQG 0.01 1989-Talfourd Creek 1990-St. Clair River (39% of stations; 1.562±5.233; 28.933 - max Ontario) 1992-St. Clair Delta distributaries (0.0478 - mean; 0.2305 - max) Sediment Toxicity Acute Lethality 1990-downstream of Polysar 42" sewer; Novacor, Sarnia; Dow 1st Street Sewer; Suncor; and Shell 1 EPA - Environmental Protection Agency PASQG - Provincial Aquatic Sediment Quality Guideline St Clair RAP Addendum Contents Executive Summary Biota PARAMETER/ GUIDELINE/OBJECTIVE (mg/L) or TYPE OF BIOTA YEAR and LOCATION CONCERN PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT (mg/L) Mercury Fish Consumption-human (0.5)1 freshwater drum 1991-north end of Stag Island/Stag Island walleye 1991-Bluewater Bridge; Port Lambton white sucker 1991-north end of Stag Island yellow perch 1991-north end of Stag Island PCBs Fish Consumption-human (2.0)1 carp 1991-north end of Stag Island gizzard shad 1991-Stag Island; Lambton Generating Station; Port Lambton gizzard shad 1991-north end of Stag Island Fish Tissue-wildlife (0.1)2 carp 1991-north end of Stag Island walleye 1991-Bluewater Bridge & Port Lambton shiners 1989,1990-Lambton Generating Station 1987-Mitchell Bay Dioxins and Furans Fish Consumption - human (15 ppt carp 1991-north end of Stag Island 2,3,7,8-TCDD [TEQ])1 shiners Octachlorostyrene Fish Tissue-wildilfe (0.02)3 1991-offshore of Shell 1991-offshore of DuPont 1 Based on the Ontario Fish Consumption Guideline and the Michigan Department of Public Health fish consumption trigger levels. 2 Based on the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement Specific Objective for fish tissue. 3 As per OMOE/MDNR (1991) St Clair RAP Addendum Contents Executive Summary Sources The self-monitoring data for each of 12 industrial facilities within Chemical Valley indicated that all were operating within their CofA limits. The only exception was seven monthly exceedences of the suspended solids limits at Novacor Chemicals, Mooretown. In addition, effluents from eight facilities (Dow, DuPont, Esso Chemicals, Ethyl, ICI Nitrogen, Ontario Hydro, Novacor Chemicals-Mooretown and Polysar) were found to be non-lethal to rainbow trout. The only exception was one of nine bioassays using Polysar's combined (outfall #200) effluent, however, an OMOE audit sample was determined not to be acutely lethal.