State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Biological and Water Quality Study of The Black River Basin Lorain and Medina Counties HydropsychidCaddisfly (Hydropsyche sp.) Greenside Darter (Etheostoma blenniodes) March 31, 1999 Bob Taft, Governor Christopher Jones, Director State of Ohio EPA P.O. Box 1049, Lazarus Government Center., 122 S. Front Street, Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049 MAS/1998-11-4 Black River Basin TSD March 31, 1999 Biological and Water Quality Study of the Black River Basin, 1997 Lorain and Media Counties March 31, 1999 OEPA Technical Report Number MAS/1998-11-4 Bob Taft, Govenor Chris Jones, Director State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency P.O. Box 1049, Lazarus Government Center 122 S. Front Street, Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049 MAS/1998-11-4 Black River Basin TSD March 31, 1999 TABLE OF CONTENTS NOTICE TO USERS ......................................................iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................vi FORWARD .............................................................vii INTRODUCTION ........................................................1 SUMMARY .............................................................1 RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................3 Black River Status of Aquatic Life Uses ...........................................3 Status of Non-aquatic Life Uses ........................................3 Other Recommendations and Future Monitoring Concerns ..................3 French Creek Status of Aquatic Life Uses ...........................................5 Status of Non-aquatic Life Uses ........................................5 Future Monitoring Concerns and Other Recommendations ..................3 East Branch Black River Status of Aquatic Life Uses ...........................................5 Status of Non-aquatic Life Uses ........................................6 Other Recommendations and Future Monitoring Concerns ..................6 East Fork East Branch Status of Aquatic Life Uses ...........................................6 Status of Non-aquatic Life Uses ........................................6 Other Recommendations and Future Monitoring Concerns ..................6 Willow Creek Status of Aquatic Life Uses ...........................................7 Status of Non-aquatic Life Uses ........................................7 Other Recommendations and Future Monitoring Concerns ..................7 West Branch Black River Status of Aquatic Life Uses ...........................................7 Status of Non-aquatic Life Uses ........................................7 Other Recommendations and Future Monitoring Concerns ..................7 Plum Creek Status of Aquatic Life Uses ...........................................7 Status of Non-aquatic Life Uses ........................................8 Other Recommendations and Future Monitoring Concerns ..................8 Beaver Creek Status of Aquatic Life Uses ...........................................8 Status of Non-aquatic Life Uses ........................................8 Other Recommendations and Future Monitoring Concerns ..................8 Use Designations Table .................................................11 ii MAS/1998-11-4 Black River Basin TSD March 31, 1999 STUDY AREA ..........................................................13 METHODS .............................................................22 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .............................................26 Pollutant Loadings ....................................................26 City of Elyria WWTP ................................................26 USS/Kobe Steel ....................................................29 City of Lorain (East-side) WWTP ......................................42 Village of Grafton WWTP ............................................44 Brentwood Lake WWTP ..............................................47 Eaton Estates WWTP ................................................48 Village of Lodi WWTP ...............................................49 North Ridgeville WWTP ..............................................51 City of Amherst WWTP ..............................................53 Spills ...............................................................55 Fish Kills ............................................................55 Surface Water Quality ................................................56 East Fork East Branch ...............................................57 East Branch .......................................................57 Willow Creek ......................................................62 West Branch .......................................................64 French Creek ......................................................65 Black River ........................................................68 Beaver Creek ......................................................88 Sediment Quality .....................................................91 East Branch .......................................................91 Willow Creek ......................................................91 French Creek ......................................................92 Black River ........................................................92 Surface Water Quality Trends ..........................................98 East Fork East Branch ...............................................98 East Branch .......................................................99 East Branch and West Branch Compared ................................101 Black River (Free Flowing) ...........................................103 Black River (Lacustuary) .............................................103 Black River Ambient Monitoring (1992- 1997) ............................107 French Creek ......................................................109 Beaver Creek ......................................................110 Physical Habitat for Aquatic Life .......................................111 Biological Assessment: Macroinvertebrate Community (1977 -1997) ..........115 Black River ........................................................115 Black River Lacustuary ..............................................115 French Creek ......................................................115 iii MAS/1998-11-4 Black River Basin TSD March 31, 1999 East Branch .......................................................115 East Fork East Branch ...............................................116 Willow Creek ......................................................116 West Branch .......................................................116 Plum Creek ........................................................116 Beaver Creek ......................................................116 Biological Assessment: Fish Community (1977 - 1997) ......................125 Black River ........................................................125 Black River Lacustuary ..............................................125 East Branch .......................................................133 East Fork East Branch ...............................................135 French Creek ......................................................135 Willow Creek ......................................................136 West Branch .......................................................136 Plum Creek ........................................................136 Beaver Creek ......................................................137 Overall Trends .......................................................137 Public Lakes and Reservoirs ............................................140 References ...........................................................158 Appendix tables containing results from chemical grab samples and biological sampling are available electronically on the Internet at http://chagrin.epa.ohio.gov/. iv MAS/1998-11-4 Black River Basin TSD March 31, 1999 NOTICE TO USERS Ohio EPA incorporated biological criteria into the Ohio Water Quality Standards (WQS; Ohio Administrative Code 3745-1) regulations in February 1990 (effective May 1990). These criteria consist of numeric values for the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) and Modified Index of Well-Being (MIwb), both of which are based on fish assemblage data, and the Invertebrate Community Index (ICI), which is based on macroinvertebrate assemblage data. Criteria for each index are specified for each of Ohio's five ecoregions (as described by Omernik 1987), and are further organized by organism group, index, site type, and aquatic life use designation. These criteria, along with the existing chemical and whole effluent toxicity evaluation methods and criteria, figure prominently in the monitoring and assessment of Ohio’s surface water resources. The following documents support the use of biological criteria by outlining the rationale for using biological information, the methods by which the biocriteria were derived and calculated, the field methods by which sampling must be conducted, and the process for evaluating results: Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. 1987a. Biological criteria for the protection of aquatic life: Volume I. The role of biological data in water quality assessment. Div. Water Qual. Monit. & Assess., Surface Water Section, Columbus, Ohio. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. 1987b. Biological criteria for the protection of aquatic life: Volume II. Users manual for biological field assessment of Ohio surface waters. Div. Water Qual. Monit. & Assess., Surface Water Section, Columbus, Ohio. Ohio Environmental Protection