Archive for the ‘Fishing Industry’ Category

Rivers Causing Illness to Recreationists

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

Hello All,

I spoke to Julie Horney today and she gave me a different perspective about our efforts.  Julie became ill with Hepatitis, Thrombocytopenia,  hepatomegaly (eventually causing Anemia) – probably due to E. coli – within 24 hours of her contact with our rivers.  There needs to be a face that represents the problems we face with our river conditions…enough to cause illness! Her contact with the water is causing her weakness and sickness months later, and still to this day ~ no medication to help, only living through the illness she contracted due to contact with our local waterways!  So who is is the responsible party for her illnesses? City? County? DNR? Julie wants postings at all entry points to waterways; as to the hazards of using the waterways for recreation.  I wanted to share her story with you.  ALL of us need to be aware of the dangers of our local waterways!  If you think that our rivers in Indiana are disgusting, your natural resources are being robbed from you.  Thank you for reading her story!   ~ Abby

 

Baby don’t fear the . . . cyanobacteria!

 Julie Horney on her voyage the day she became sick

 If the “wind, the summer, the rain” were present that fateful Tuesday evening like it is in the famous rock-n-roll song from the 70s, well then I might not be sick right now! Let me explain:

 October 11th was a beautiful Fall evening for the Fort Wayne kayaking group to enjoy the Cedarville Reservoir.  The Reservoir is in Leo, Indiana and north of the dam that divides the St. Joe River as it flows south to Fort Wayne.  My last paddle in the Reservoir was over a year ago in the middle of the summer.  About 2 miles north of the dam is the Leo boat launch from which my husband often completes his race practices.  The group launched at the same place that night, headed southwest instead of north, in water that looked as murky as it always did.  We noted nothing unusual, that is, no scum or smell, except maybe it was a little greener.

 Greener, indeed!  We ended the evening with our usual homemade cookies from one of our older regulars, chatted a bit, loaded up, and headed home.  By morning, I was feeling ill!  Within a day I was doubled over in pain, sick with diarrhea, fighting a headache and concerned I might have caught the flu.  Fortunately I was able to see my doctor on Thursday. who suspected otherwise.  The nausea medication gave some relief but the pain persisted and my breathing had become shallow periodically over the next 12 hours.  My doctor saw me immediately after I called his office on Friday, ordered some tests and my husband Steve and I were off to the emergency room for more tests and treatment.  I had become dehydrated and no one knew for sure what was going on.

I was crying out to the Lord for relief.  IV pain medications and nausea medications began to manage the symptoms.  The nurse practitioner suspected viral hepatitis and I was discharged home.  Thrombocytopenia and hepatomegaly were later added to the medical record.  I learned later that for the hepatotoxicity which caused the hepatitis, “supportive therapy” is all that is recommended:  defined as emergency life support in its various forms if needed.  Gratefully, I did not need that!  But a few days went by and I couldn’t eat much, nausea and new symptoms settled in, and I just wasn’t convinced I was getting any better.  Steve suggested I try to find a special diet or something that could help me.  He was right.

Thank God for the internet!  Google and Google Scholar became my constant companions.  I propped myself up in front of the computer in between naps and began searching for answers.  By this point I had become suspicious of the water in the Reservoir and looked for whatever data I could find on the Fort Wayne Rivers, Indiana water quality reports, etc.  Then I found it.  In the middle of a 2005 report on Indiana Lakes and Reservoirs was a chart of Cyanobacteria toxins, organisms, acute effects mechanisms of action, and signs and symptoms of intoxication.  I found a list of the exact symptoms I had experienced.  In the “Therapy” column was a note, “Not well investigated.”

There must be more information somewhere.  Cyanobacteria is also known as blue-green algae.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, it “grows in any type of water and are photosynthetic (use sunlight to create food and support life).  Cyanobacteria live in terrestrial, fresh, brackish, or marine water.  They are usually too small to be seen, but sometimes can form visible colonies, called an algal bloom” (p. 1, from www.cdc.gov/hab/cyanobacteria/facts.htm).  The blooms can be bright green, brown, red, or may not affect the appearance of the water at all.  “As the algae in a cyanobacterail bloom die, the water may smell bad” (p. 1).  The organisms are commonly present in the water in the early Spring and early Fall.  Given the mild Fall we were having, the slow current of the St. Joe, and absence of a recent rainfall, I wonder if we were still in the “early Fall” conditions right for cyanobacteria.  We were paddling in partly shallow waters, perhaps warmed by the sun.

 

 Briefly for paddlers, we can be exposed to the chemical substances that cause a toxic effect by:

  • Drinking water from a lake or reservoir with CyanoHB (the type that threatens people and animals), including accidentally swallowing the water
  • Drinking untreated water
  • Engaging in recreational activities in waters with CyanoHB
  • Inhaling aerosols from water-related activities (jet-skiing or boating)
  • Inhaling aerosols when using the water around the home
  • Entering through a person’s skin who has a cut or open sore

 

Symptoms of infection vary with the specific parasite ingested and can take hours or days to show up in people or animals.  Although I had an acute condition, I wondered where I could find information on any research-based alternative medicine or dietary approaches to hepatitis.  The American Liver Foundation had the best, most balanced information so I changed my diet immediately.  I started getting another measure better.  Since I am not an expert, I won’t go into the details of some other measures that are helping.  Gratefully, a local pharmacist at a compounding pharmacy was willing to do some research and instructed me on which supplements to stop that I had been taking (to reduce the load on my liver).  He and his colleague also made a few recommendations of two supplements to add based upon the limited research available.

At the time of this writing, I continue to improve daily.  My doctor discontinued the body fluid precautions when my lab work showed improvement, easing things around the home.  My endurance and respiratory capacity are reduced yet improving.  Since I work in health care, we will be cautious before releasing me to return to work.  It is now too cold for this recreational paddler to consider getting back into the water anyways.   I will have lots to think about this winter before returning to kayaking next year.

 

For example, I am not sure the exact mode that led to my exposure to cyanobacter and specifically cylindrospermopsin.  A winged paddle increases splashing and a paddler gets wet as water flies through the air.  Four of us kayaked with winged/racing paddles that evening and none of them, nor anyone else in the group, got sick.  I had just purchased a beginner surf ski and was sitting in water for most of the paddle, soaking my skin with the possibly infected waters.  Also, my water bottle did not have a tight seal around the mouthpiece and I tried to carefully extract a snack from its packaging with my (albeit wet) paddling gloves.  Evidently, too many possibilities for exposure and I got sick.

 dead-cow.jpg

 The reason I am writing this article is to share with you the following precautions direct from the CDC (p. 2):

  • Don’t swim, water ski, or boat in areas where the water is discolored or where you see foam, scum, or mats of algae on the water.
  • If you do swim in water that might have a CyanoHAB, rinse off with fresh water as soon as possible.  (This includes an accidental spill!)
  • Don’t let pets or livestock swim in or drink from areas where the water is discolored or where you see foam, scum, or mats of algae on the water.
  • If pets (especially dogs) swim in scummy water, rinse them off immediately – do not let them lick the algae (and toxins) off their fur.
  • Don’t irrigate lawns (or gardens) . . . with pond water that looks scummy or smells bad.
  • Report any “musty” smell or taste in your drinking water to your local water utility.
  • Respect any water-body closures announced by local public health authorities (as I had witnessed many times along the Chicago shoreline when I lived in Illinois).

 Mary Jane Slaton of the Fort Wayne City Utilities adds that, after exposure to potentially infested waters, a person should use hand sanitizer before eating.

(Personal communication 10/25/2011). 

 Most importantly, remove yourself from the exposure and get medical attention right away if you think that you or your pet has been poisoned by cyanobacterial toxins.  In the words of Ms. Slayton, “rivers (in particular) are natural water bodies.  They sometimes have things (in them) that affect people’s health” (ibid).

While I agree, I also feel a responsibility to educate others more specifically on what to look for, what to do, and what not to do.  It’s like the universal precautions we use in healthcare settings.  Good hand washing prevents the spread of disease.  I guess that now extends to our paddling equipment as well.

~Julie Horney

 

River Network explains the Clean Water Act

Monday, November 28th, 2011

 Currently, the Upper Maumee drains (the first half of the Maumee that headwaters in downtown Fort Wayne from Combined & Sanitary Sewer Overflows

urban culvertRain and snowmelt discharged from combined stormwater and sewer systems can cause serious pollution in rivers and lakes in urban areas. These sewer systems were designed to capture and treat both domestic wastewater as well as stormwater runoff. But in many places development has increased beyond the capacity of combined sewer systems which causes them to periodically overflow, sending raw sewage into surface water bodies (combined sewer overflows). In areas where stormwater drains were never connected with the sanitary sewer system, raw sewage overflows can result from substantial amounts of water leaking into old pipes, pipe blockages, pipe breaks, power failures or insufficient capacity in the system. Such overflows are called sanitary sewer overflows.

Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) are leading causes of water quality impairment across the country. The EPA states that only 32 percent of communities with CSOs are implementing the minimum controls, despite a January 1997 deadline. Only 19 percent have completed their plans for controlling CSOs, and fewer than 10 percent have finished implementing CSO controls. The EPA estimates that 1,260 billion gallons of raw sewage from CSO discharges flow into our surface waters every year.

The overflows carry pollutants, including soil and grease, chemicals, nutrients, heavy metals, bacteria, viruses and oxygen-consuming substances. Some discharges into the system are illicit and may include used motor oil, antifreeze, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Throughout the country, necessary (but costly) structural improvements and better management practices are being required by the EPA to eliminate the overflows.

In Fort Wayne we have 42 discharge points that discharge on average 71 times per year.  The EPA allows 4 per year.  The “Long Term Control Plan” is Fort Wayne’s 17 year plan to reduce the sewage into local streams. You can find it here!

Using the Clean Water Act

NPDES point source permits

NPDES permits are required for combined sewer systems and sanitary sewer systems that experience overflows. These permits usually lay out compliance schedules for reducing raw sewage discharge. Find out what your state is doing about combined sewer systems and leaking sanitary sewer systems that experience overflows. Ask questions about monitoring and compliance. Citizen monitoring can identify problems and direct agency attention. Stormwater NPDES requirements to improve management of stormwater volumes can contribute to the CSO/SSO solution.

Water quality standards

Identify the existing and designated uses downstream of combined sewer overflows and sanitary sewer overflows. Which uses are the most sensitive to pollution from the overflows? To protect those uses, identify water quality criteria for bacteria, heavy metals, petroleum byproducts (PAHs), pesticides, fertilizer, bioaccumulative toxic pollutants, sediment (total suspended solids), habitat, stream flow and biology. Evaluate whether the criteria are stringent enough to protect existing and designated uses.

303(d) impaired waters list

Do the waters downstream of combined sewer overflows or sanitary sewer overflows in your watershed support uses and meet water quality criteria? If not, or if they are threatened by CSOs or SSOs, make sure they are on the 303(d) list for the appropriate pollutants, problems and threats.

Total Maximum Daily Loads

Is there a TMDL scheduled or in progress in your watershed? Are CSOs and SSOs included as sources of the impairments? Have changes to the permits, compliance schedules and proposed construction been included in the TMDL implementation plan? If not, encourage your agency to include them.

Section 319 nonpoint source control

This section of the Clean Water Act authorizes money to the states for projects that address nonpoint source pollution. In recent years, 319 money has been available to some municipalities to develop their stormwater program. Ask your state water quality agency about how to apply for a 319 grant to reduce stormwater problems in your watershed, especially those that contribute to CSOs or SSOs.

Using other laws

Safe Drinking Water Act

Is the surface water or groundwater downstream of CSOs or SSOs used or designated for drinking? If so, it is likely that drinking water concerns will provide leverage to ensure CSOs and SSOs are addressed expeditiously. Identify the risks and talk to the agency in charge of developing the Source Water Assessment for your watershed. Be sure that the CSO and SSO risks to drinking water sources are included in the assessment and considered by your drinking water provider.

Endangered Species Act

Are there threatened or endangered species in your watershed? If so, you have another tool to pressure for the elimination of CSOs and SSOs. The Endangered Species Act prohibits any activity that would result in harmful impacts to the species or its habitat.

website and previous information found here:  http://www.rivernetwork.org/rn/combined-and-sanitary-sewer-overflows

Citizens’ Questions that NEED to be Answered

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

On September 15th, 2011 IDEM held a public meeting to address the air permits being issued for Steel Dynamics Inc.
59 people were in attendance and spoke of fear of pollution from Superior Aluminum, and did not want to have air permits approved for the new LaFarga copper plant.

We have included the questions (below are citizens’ questions) that were NOT answered during this 4 hour meeting and we are requesting they are answered for the health of the public OR deny SDI’s air permit request.

 AIR

  • Who will watchdog any monitors that are placed? How often will they be monitored? (heavy metals, particulate matter, )
  • How are we to be assured that SDI will conform to the Federal Clean Air Act?
     
  • If these regulations are not followed, what is the consequence to the business?
  • What fines are associated with non-compliance? public hearing/ legal action / law suit applicable?
  • If a fine were levied, where would the money go?
  • Can we test the air now BEFORE this plant goes up and then AFTER the plant is in operation if air permit is granted? (benchmark)
  • If there is something in existence of what is upwind and downwind to monitor the air quality…so is it better/worse upwind/downwind?
     
  • Where are the other monitors in existence around our area.  The website given by IDEM http://www.in.gov/apps/idem/smog/ does not seem to contain specifics of location.
  • If the current levels downwind exceed the NAAQS, will the permit be issued for the new plant?
     
  • Can the combination of toxins from the SDI LaFarga Copper plant and the SDI Superior Aluminum Plant mix together to create something worse? Like a supertoxin?
  • Were any exemptions awarded for any of the “6 criteria pollutants” or any others reported with IDEM and EPA?
     
  • IF any exemptions were granted, what part of the process of the approval be challenged?
  • What is the AVERAGE limit of air pollution LaFarga Copper plant expect to emit?  How did they get their preliminary findings since this will be the “first copper plant of it’s kind, except for the one in Spain”? Who did the testing and were the tests paid for by SDI?
     
  • If something technical or human error occurs, what backup system (in case of emergency) is in place to ensure no additional harmful pollutants will escape?  What monitor would they have, if any, that would keep track of the number of emissions released during a break down, whether technical or human error?
     
  • Where will the waste from the bag houses be deposited?
  • Will any violations cause the exemptions to be revoked?

WATER

  • How will relocation/expansion of the Bandelier Ditch (#3) affect the storm sewer/sanitary sewer?
  • If any pollutants are being discharged into this ditch, what is being monitored or recorded and reported? Where will this information be available?
  • Will their be a long term control plan for CSO’s where the sanitary /storm sewers are to be installed completely separate per the Clean Water Act and City of Fort Wayne Long Term Control Plan?
     
  • Will SDI be responsible for testing runoff or non-point source pollutants from the two facilities that will be located .6 mile from each other?
  • Will this plant will have a retention pond or a detention pond? CONFIRMING THERE WILL BE NO NPDES PERMIT?
  • Where will the waste water from the bag houses be deposited?
  • Does the pond fall under Rule 5 of the IAC 326 for surface water if there are no chemicals going into it? Where are the reports found for Waterways of the U.S.?
     
  • Please submit the blueprint/schematics for the ditch/direction of the ditch for discharge into New Haven as a straight pipe OR to Fort Wayne Filtration Plant?
     
  • How many gallons of water per month will be used at the new copper plant? Will the water be purchased from City of Fort Wayne or a well be drilled?
     
  • There are 22 who have attended a local community meetings who are on wells within 3 miles of the plant.  How will their well water supply be directly effected?
     
  • Do you know the current levels of heavy metals in these wells?
     
  • Where are the reports or monitoring that will test water quality upstream and downstream?
     
  • How much water is used in the process of making 1 ton (2,000lbs) of steel? 1 ton of copper? 1 ton of aluminum?

SOIL
What are the current levels of Mercury and Lead in the soil surrounding the plant and the properties most affected by current emission.

Farm land and home owners properties must be included.
 

Botulism Report of Dead Birds still relevent

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

From the Emmet County Lakeshore Association Fall 2010 Newsletter:

During the fall of 2007 there was an estimated 8,000 – 10,000 water birds that were believed to have died from botulism poisoning along the northern Lake Michigan shoreline.  These water birds included loons, gulls, and all ducks, local and migratory in Lake Michigan.  

There is the chain of events leading up to the botulism toxin poisoning of sea birds:

1) Botulism is naturally occurring on the lake bottom.
2) Mats of Cladophora algae (the same algae that is thick along the Lake Michigan beach) are believed to be caused by clearer water, caused by the invasive zebra and quagga mussels’ filtration of plankton from the water and from the mussels’ excretions causing the fertilization of the algae.  These mats create an anaerobic condition on the lake floor which causes the botulism to produce a toxin.
3) The toxin is ingested by the mussels.
4) The invasive mussels are then eaten by the invasive round goby fish.
5) The dead round goby fish float to the surface and are eaten by sea birds.
6) The toxin causes a paralysis and the birds die from drowning or exposure.

Male Mallard Duck on the Maumee River

This past Summer of 2010 there were reports of dead Round Gobies washing up on shore.  This Fall there have been several reports of sea bird die-offs.  Mark Breederland of Michigan Sea Grant reported 25+ dead Red-Necked Grebes in the vicinity of Brevort River in Mid September. Based on these reports, it is believed that it could be another year of botulism deaths of fish eating birds migrating along Lake Michigan. If dead birds are found DO NOT touch with bare hands to dispose of the carcass.  Dead birds should be handled with gloved hands and can be placed in garbage bag for disposal or buried with a shovel.  PLEASE check the birds leg to see if it is banded.  CALL 906-370-1231 if it has a band on its leg.

Millions of Dead Fish/Birds; First week in 2011

Friday, January 7th, 2011

The expression, “like a canary in a coal mine” was used to describe the alarm system for coal miners in the late 19th and early 20th century.  The small birds were brought down into the mines to be a zoological early warning to alert miners of toxic gases or fumes.  The canaries would choke and die earlier than people so the men knew they should take action!

Explanations of large scale bird and  fish deaths over the past 7 days are as follows: hail, lightening, heavy winds fireworks, disease, tornado, upper atmospheric disturbance, mass confusion, hit by something, bird government experiments, power lines, extreme temperatures (hot or cold), massive trauma, struck by a car or my personal favorite, the 2nd coming of Christ.  I think we should add chemicals to the list ~ Don’t you?  The experts may be overlooking several chemicals because they do not consider these chemicals to be deadly.  Why? Because the same chemicals are found in 90% of every man, woman and child in the USA.  One more thing, pollution and poison HAS been ruled out.  I believe that ruling out “pollution” is unwarranted and too early.

Fish Kill Aug. 2010


New Years Eve ~ between 3,000-5,000 dead red-winged black birds in Ozark, AR fell to earth.  The very next day, 125 miles away, 80,000-100,000 drum fish died on a 20 mile stretch of the Arkansas River.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/01/03/national/main7208349.shtml
or
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40887450/ns/us_news-environment/
I called the Army Core of Engineers (ACE) in Arkansas to find out if Beebe was downstream of Ozark – NO – Little Rock is downstream.  I asked if something like a chemical could have been spread by air carrying the winds southeast to Beebe and landing in the streams.  ACE stated, “It is unlikely because the fish are bottom feeders…it may be a disease. The birds dying at the same time is just a coincidence.”

The fish died on a 20 mile stretch on the Arkansas River near Ozark, AR and the 3-5,000 birds died just 125 miles south-east of Ozark in Beebe, AR.  Two days later, 300 miles due south, 500 red winged black birds die in Louisiana. Coincidence…but the deaths keep coming!

Jan. 4, 2011 ~ Now if that were not enough fowlness, Louisiana’s sky drops 500 blackbirds and starlings.  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/01/04/national/main7212053.shtml

Jan. 4.  Mullet Ladyfish, Catfish found dead in the thousands; Port Orange, FL said to be largest fish kill seen there.
http://www.wftv.com/video/26368602/index.html

Jan 5, 2011 ~ Two million fish wash up on shore and is considered the biggest fish kill in Chesapeake Bay, MD since 1980.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Two-Million-Fish-Found-Dead-In-Chesapeake-Bay-Maryland-After-Birds-Die-In-Arkansas-And-Louisiana/Article/201101115880847?f=rss

Jan 7, 2010 ~Around 10,000 menhaden fish were found dead on the shores of Folly Beach, NC.  http://www.ktsm.com/news/more-fish-bird-deaths-this-time-world-wide

Jan. 7, 2011 ~Western Kentucky, hundreds of grackles, robins, starlings and blackbirds die mysteriously.     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/05/hundreds-more-dead-birds-_n_804952.html 

Articles all over the world have been discussing their own wildlife deaths: Vietnam, Sweden, Brazil, Italy and New Zealand Brittan, have also had large fish/bird deaths in the past week. But we will stay focused on the good ‘ol USA.

The aflockalypse? Well, the scientific community does not believe in the unconventional scare tactics and neither does Save Maumee.  However this should be a warning to all.  Mass deaths of animals have always happened.  Most of these deaths have happened to large populations and have been getting lots of attention –  but slower mass extinction of thousands of species because of human activity is going ignored.  Remember, population in nature takes care of itself, (i.e. natural selection & survival of the fittest) but this law of nature goes for the human race as well.

This all seems reminiscent of a book written by Rachel Carson called Silent Spring~ Please Read IT.  Aldrin, Dieldrin, Heptachlor and DDT or the overall term “chlorinated hydrocarbons” and a second group of insecticides, “organic phosphates” are among the most poisonous chemicals in the world. They wreaked havoc on the natural environment in the 40’s and 50’s.  As early as 1950 the FDA declared “it is “extremely likely the potential hazard of DDT has been underestimated” http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/Actives/ddt.htm  By the way, ALL these chemicals were spread indiscriminately across the landscape of the USA for years before the disastrous effects were discovered.

What types of things do these chemical concoctions produce? mutagens, agents capable of modifying genes (the material for heredity) paralysis, internal bleeding, instantaneous death, widespread cancer…and many more side effects

http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/Actives/ddt.htmThese chemicals can travel in groundwater, surface water, up tubules of plants that we eat, reside on fruit and remains in soil.

Connect the dots together for yourself and take action lovely people of Earth.  I know that our planet is does not start with a capital letter, but from now it should be.

*duly noted, the numbers of fish and bird deaths are range estimates from different stories referenced, but the several locations are concerning.

60 Million Fish Dead/Year; New Permits now in place! GOOD NEWS

Saturday, November 20th, 2010

Recapping this article; The FirstEnergy’s Bay Shore plant kills more fish than all others in Ohio combined and is one of the largest sites for fish kills in the region. Bay Shore kills up to 46 million adults and 14 million juveniles a year whenoperating at full capacity & estimates 209 million fish eggs and 2.2 trillion microscopic fish in the larval form being pulled through screens and killed inside the plant each year.  What a shame, but permits now in place, should be at least better!

http://toledoblade.com/article/20101120/NEWS16/11190362/-1/OPINION04

State EPA renews Bay Shore’s permit
Lower fish kills factor in decision

PhotoFirstEnergy Corp. is getting the chance to prove that its dual strategy for reducing fish kills at its Bay Shore power plant in Oregon will work.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Friday announced it will renew the utility’s wastewater-discharge permit at the plant for 4 1/2 years, from Jan. 1 through July 31, 2015.

 The permit calls for the same reduction in fish kills that had been proposed in a draft document that went out for public comment last spring – at least 80 percent fewer impinged, or killed from being trapped against the plant’s intake screens, and at least 60 percent fewer entrained, or sucked through the hot plant by its powerful intake current.

The only difference between what was proposed and what was made final is that the deadline was moved up by 18 months, Ohio EPA spokesman Dana Pierce said, to April 1, 2013, instead of Oct. 1, 2014.
“Moving the date up will reduce two peak seasons of fish kills, which are highest during the April-to-June fish migration period,” the agency said in its news release.
The permit also provides FirstEnergy a variance from tougher federal rules for mercury releases into the water, giving the utility more time to phase in improvements.
Confronted by public outcry last spring, FirstEnergy said Friday it is pleased by the agency’s decision.
At an April 22 hearing, several area residents demanded the installation of a $100 million cooling tower.
Cooling towers greatly reduce water intake and reduce fish mortalities by 95 percent, making them the most effective devices at saving fish. But their price tag keeps them out of reach for many plants.
 The Bay Shore facility, built in 1955, is in a unique situation.
It sits in a modified estuary where the Maumee River meets western Lake Erie’s Maumee Bay, one of the Great Lakes region’s most valuable spawning areas. It kills more fish than all others in Ohio combined and is one of the largest sites for fish kills in the region.
 FirstEnergy’s consultant estimates that Bay Shore kills up to 46 million adults and 14 million juveniles a year when operating at full capacity.
More than half – 24 million emerald shiners and 14 million gizzard shad – are bait fish that support the Great Lakes region’s $7 billion fishery. About $1 billion of that economic impact is in Ohio alone.
 Records submitted by the utility also show an estimated 209 million fish eggs and 2.2 trillion microscopic fish in their larval form being pulled through screens and killed inside the plant each year.
Since last spring, FirstEnergy has announced scaled-back operations for three of the four units, saying the action was in response to the lackluster economy and less demand for industrial power, not because of fish.
 Prior to that, the utility installed several underwater shutterlike devices known as reverse louvers for a pilot study to see if they can be deployed on a larger scale to divert fish around the plant. The utility paid $500,000 to have enough installed for a two-year test run.
“Between the two of those, we will be able to meet the impingement and entrainment requirements,” said Mark Durbin, FirstEnergy spokesman. “Our focus all along has been on this system that we think will work, the louvers.”
 Contact Tom Henry at:
thenry@theblade.com
or 419-724-6079.