Restoring One of America’s Greatest Rivers -Elizabeth River - Josef Rieger Deputy Director – Restoration Chesapeake Bay Program’s Toxic Contaminants Workgroup The Elizabeth River Project Mission: Restore the Elizabeth River to the highest practical level of environmental quality through government, business, & community partnerships. 2,000 citizen members 114 River Star facilities Government projects with US Navy, NOAA, US Army Corps of Engineers, US EPA, VA DEQ, VA DCR, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, & Chesapeake. Elizabeth River Watershed • 200 sq. mile Lafayette River watershed Lafayette River • 4 Cities • Great Dismal Swamp Portsmouth freshwater Virginia Beach source Chesapeake • Trapped Estuary Action Plan for Restoring Elizabeth Action 1 – Goo Must Go! Cleanup contaminated sediments Action 2 – Greener shores Action 3 – Reduce bacteria Action 4 – Reduce nutrients Action 5 – Business ethic Action 6 – Protective policies Action 7 – Engage 25,000 citizen soldiers Elizabeth River Sediments Contamination from PAH - highest in the Chesapeake Bay (463 times average for bay) Cancer in the Mummichog Healthy Mummichog Liver Pre-Cancerous Mummichog Liver Cancerous Mummichog Liver Money Point – A Story of Environmental Restoration Money Point Money Point History & Legacy Impacts 12,126,000 12,127,000 Holland 3,454,000 Rotterdam 3,454,000 Ber Lem 3,453,000 3,453,000 Amerada Hess Navigation Channel Surface PAH (mg/Kg) < 45 3,452,000 45 - 100 3,452,000 100 - 500 500 - 1,000 Elizabeth River 1,000 - 2,000 2,000 - 3,000 Terminals > 3,000 Money Point, VA Alt 5A. Dredging in the north and NOTE: Coordinate System: VA State Plane Science Applications International Corporation a sand cap to the south Horizontal Datum: NAD83 A221 Third St. Units: feet 0 200 400 800 Newport, RI 02840 Vertical Datum: MLLW 401-847-4210 Airphoto: 1994 www.saic-marinesciences.com Feet File: MP_meeting1.mxd Greg Berman, SAIC, 19 Jul 06 12,126,000 12,127,000 Phased HollandApproach 3,454,000 Rotterdam 3,454,000 Phase 3- Northern Ber Lem Dredging and Cap Phase 2- Northern Dredging and Sand Cap 3,453,000 3,453,000 Amerada Hess Phase 1- Living Cap Navigation Channel Surface PAH (mg/Kg) < 45 3,452,000 45 - 100 3,452,000 100 - 500 500 - 1,000 Elizabeth River 1,000 - 2,000 2,000 - 3,000 Terminals > 3,000 Money Point, VA Alt 5A. Dredging in the north and NOTE: Coordinate System: VA State Plane Science Applications International Corporation a sand cap to the south Horizontal Datum: NAD83 A221 Third St. Units: feet 0 200 400 800 Newport, RI 02840 Vertical Datum: MLLW 401-847-4210 Airphoto: 1994 www.saic-marinesciences.com Feet File: MP_meeting1.mxd Greg Berman, SAIC, 19 Jul 06 Phase II Phase III Phase I Phase I - Dredging Southern Hot Spot Phase I - Living Cap and Wetlands Restoration Living Cap ERT Wetlands After Construction Sand Cap With Oyster Reef Results Phase II Dredging of 15,000 cy Phase II - Clean Sand Placed Mummichog Sampling 2013 Mummichog Monitoring Results Mummichog Monitoring Results Benthic Sampling Increase in Fin Fish Diversity •Four species found prior to restoration •26 species now recorded Ongoing Partnerships Real-time prediction of PAH analysis of sediment pore water KinExA Inline Sensor Fluorescence detection, rapid (minutes), quantitative, sub-ppb from small sample volume (1mL) Inline Sensor NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) How Easy is it? Results A PAH in Porewater Biosensor vs. GC-MS 200 20 MS μg/L) - y = 0.56x 2 R² = 0.99 0.2 Total PAH (GC PAH Total 0.02 0.0200 0.2000 2.0000 20.0000 200.0000 Total PAH (Biosensor μg/L) How is the Technology Being Applied? PAH Concentrations in Oysters and Pore Water 2012 & 2013 (MP) 450 400 MP 350 y = 20.775x AW 300 R² = 0.7673 RF 250 200 150 CS lipid) 100 50 LF 0 WB 0 5 10 15 20 25 Average Pore Water PAH Concentration (μg/L) Oyster PAH Oyster PAH Concentration (mg/kg PAHs in Groundwater Seepage meters at 6 recommended locations Seepage Meter Position Station Id Latitude Longitude MPF-1 36°47' 7.77"N 76°18' 5.58"W MPF-2 36°47' 11.90"N 76°18' 5.82"W MPF-3 36°47' 15.25"N 76°18' 5.95"W MPF-4 36°47' 17.07"N 76°18' 6.09"W MPF-5 36°47' 18.62"N 76°18' 5.40"W MPF-6 36°47' 20.68"N 76°18' 4.63"W PCBs in Red Drum and Speckled Trout • PCBs in fish • Used in electrical equip., banned 1979 • Correlated with cancer • Difficult to identify and address sources • ERP conducting study with Duke Sample Locations Above DEQ screening value (20 ppb) Above VDH lower limit of concern (50 ppb) Above VDH upper limit of concern (500 ppb) Speckled Trout and Red Drum PCB Study SPECKLED TROUT Lafayette River – Granby St. Bridge 75.01 Elizabeth River - Western Branch 30.47 Elizabeth River - Main stem 23.38 Elizabeth River - St. Julien's Creek 28.70 Elizabeth River – S. Branch, Hot Ditch 24.94 Elizabeth River - Eastern Branch 15.92 Lynnhaven River - Lynnhaven River 1.60 PCBs, Mummichogs, and Land use 18 Mummichog Sample Locations Land Types Undeveloped Residential Commercial Industrial Questions??.