The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency released a draft report stating that the Hocking River was in fairly good health, although some parts of the river remain unhealthy.
According to the Hocking River Watershed Draft Total Maximum Daily Load Report, or TMDL, 70 percent of sites surveyed in the river and its tributaries met all of the water quality standards. The remaining 20 percent of the sites tested met some of the standards, and 10 percent met none of the standards.
The Hocking River watershed, which spans 940 square miles, covers six counties in Southeast Ohio. In Athens County, sites tested include points adjacent to the Athens Mall, the Athens City Waste Water Treatment plant on East State Street and the portion of the river that runs under the East Stimson Avenue bridge.
One of the biggest stories that this report tells is the success of the river's improving health
said Gregg Sablak, environmental specialist for the Ohio EPA Division of Surface Water. The Hocking River has gone from being very degraded in the 1980s to showing a tremendous improvement today.
Some areas of concern for the river's health were identified, but none of them were in the Athens area. Most of the troubled areas were in the Rush Creek watershed in Fairfield County.
The part of the Hocking River that flows through the city of Athens is safe for recreational use, according to the report.
The draft report has two designations for recreational use, primary contact recreation and secondary contact recreation.
Primary contact recreation is defined in the Ohio Administrative Code as waters suitable for full-body contact such as swimming and canoeing. Secondary contact recreation is defined as waters suitable for partial-body contact such as wading.
All of the Hocking River watershed is rated for primary contact recreation, except an unnamed tributary in Fairfield County, which suffers from extreme acid mine pollution.
Based on our criteria the Hocking River itself is fully meeting all of the criteria for safe recreational use Sablak said. There is a low probability of getting sick from exposure to the water. I don't want to say the river is 'pristine' - that's a strong word - but it's in good quality.
The draft report is currently undergoing a public review period, which ends August 3.
After August 3, public comments on the report's findings will be considered, and the final report will be submitted to the EPA for review and approval.
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News
Jesse Hathaway
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A bird waits patiently for a fish off the shallow band on the Hocking River. New reports show the river is safe to use recreationally in Athens. (Greg Roberts | Chief Photographer)
