This is a 313 page report which I have not read in its' entirety as yet. There are examinations of fish species, fish abundance, fish tissues as well as of other smaller lifeforms (benthic invertebrates) etc. in the Canagagigue Creek. The area examined is from immediately upstream of the Lanxess property to just downstream past their property.
Regarding an examination of both numbers and types of fish found (via electrofishing) there certainly are larger numbers than there were back in 1998 as well as some improvement particularly in smallmouth bass numbers later in the season (i.e. August). That said the Creek certainly has not been remotely restored to its' glory days when it was a trout stream. Besides contaminants quite simply the Canagagigue no longer is a cold water stream/creek capable of sustaining cold water species such as trout. The Creek continues to this day to be dominated by coarse fish, highly tolerant of pollution, such as shiners, chubs, suckers and carp. Now and again a northern pike will wander by but they are very rare.
Observations I made show as expected dioxins, furans , DDT and metabolytes in fish tissues. Some sample have only a few congeners others have many. Regarding DDT breakdown products DDE is much more prevalent than DDD in fish tissues. What did concern me as well was the amount of samples with PCBs in them. Far too many clearly have been uptaking PCBs despite after 36 years of study neither the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP) nor the known polluter (Uniroyal/Lanxess) have ever shared the source with us. To me that is similar to just recently finding out that indeed as I've long said there is a second source of chlorobenzene to the Elmira drinking water aquifers, still unnamed.
While mercury is a known contaminant in the Creek including in fish tissues I haven't found any sampling for mercury in fish tissues to date. That too may be convenient as Uniroyal Chemical also never took credit for mercury in the Creek as well as PCBs. The wildlife and the environment and human beings are suffering from these two contaminants as well but Lanxess and the MECP have shown little to no concern for them. If I had to guess I might suggest that the Woolwich Dam bears some responsibility for the mercury as natural mercury that is submerged can become the more toxic kind. Or not.
Yes there has been improvement from the sewer that Uniroyal Chemical turned the Canagagigue Creek into. There is however still a long ways to go with little apparent enthusiasm to do it.
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