Rochester Embayment Area of Concern could be removed after nearly 40 years

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — For nearly 40 years the Rochester Embayment has been listed as an Area of Concern (AOC) by the EPA due to pollution and contamination from industrial, urban, and agricultural sources that was so great that the broader environmental laws and regulations couldn’t address the needs of the area.

But now, the NYSDEC and the Monroe County Department of Public Health have submitted plans asking for the removal of the Area of Concern with the completion of the goals set out in the Remediation Action Plan that was established along with the designation.

Established in 1987 as part of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada, there were 43 total AOCs established. Each could have up to 14 “Beneficial Use Impairments” (BIU) which the EPA describes as “impairments that are describing significant environmental degradation for that area of concern,”. The Rochester Embayment AOC was only one of two, out of the 43 total, that had all 14 BIUs listed as needing remediation.

According to Rick Balla, the Watershed Management Supervisor for EPA Region 2, most of the pollutants were derived unsurprisingly from industrial activity along the Genesee River.

“There was a lot of industrial activity along the Genesee River corridor, associated with Kodak and other industries, manufactured gas plants, and they left residues of historic contaminated sediments in place,” said Balla.

Other sources of pollution arose from continued development elsewhere in the region such as urban and suburban sprawl, a growing roadway network, and increased agriculture further through the Genesee Valley. Another major issue and one of the BIUs, was the degradation of fish and wildlife habitats within the AOC. This includes clearing forests and damage done to sensitive areas like along the riverbank, the shoreline, and wetland areas.

“Overall, there were 275 acres of habitat that were restored and 30,000 feet of wetland connectivity improvements that were made,” said Balla. ”Having healthy and diverse wetlands in place helped to remove some of those pollutants and create a healthier environment for the fish and wildlife.”

Work like this is why long-time restrictions on consuming fish from Lake Ontario, particularly from the Rochester Embayment, have now been lifted, as reported by News 8 in 2020 . One area in particular highlighted by Balla was the work done in Braddock Bay.

“Historically, there had been a barrier island between the bay and Lake Ontario that barrier eroded away over the course of time, threatening the wetlands behind it,” said Balla. “Part of what happened in Braddock Bay as a result of that barrier island being removed or being eroded away was that sediments were getting into Braddock Bay and were basically filling it in.”

In order to re-establish the wetlands, work known as potholing was done to change the topography of the area as well as channeling cutting through the dense vegetation which allowed for better water flow.

“Work was done to create different types of topography. So high spots and low spots in Braddock Bay and the surrounding watersheds. That habitat diversity led to diversity in the kinds of animals that were present there, whether they were amphibians or reptiles and everything else,” said Balla. There was additional channeling which helped how the water moves over the wetland surface and that can help to filter out pollution.”

Over the years, a number of other projects have either worked indirectly to support the goals set forth by the introduction of the AOC or were the direct result of the implementation of the AOC. Some familiar ones are the Combined Sewer Overflow Abatement Program which was already in the works when remediation plans began to be developed in 1993 for the AOC. Another large project was the construction of the pump at the pier at Ontario State Beach Park which is used to help mitigate algal blooms and keep the beach open more frequently.

Public comment on the report being submitted to the EPA asking for the removal of the Rochester Embayment AOC is ongoing through July 30th. To submit your comments the NYSDEC asks you to follow these instructions:

“Mail comments to: Jim Lehnen, Environmental Program Specialist, DEC / Great Lakes Program 700 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14209. Or email your comments to: greatlakes@dec.ny.gov with “Rochester AOC Delisting” in the subject line. All comments must include the person’s full name, affiliation or organization, email address, physical address, and town of residence.”

To read the full report you can follow this link .

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