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(T/EH012) Environmental restoration of PCB injuries in Green Bay, Lake Michigan, USA. Beltman, D.1, Allen, P.2, Mills, D.1, 1 2 ABSTRACT- The Trustees for natural resources of the Fox River and Green Bay are conducting a natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) to address resource injuries caused by the releases of PCBs into the environment. The objective of the NRDA is to conduct restoration that will restore resources injured by PCBs and compensate the public for the environmental effects of the released PCBs. To address this objective, the Trustees developed an innovative approach to identifying, selecting, and scaling restoration actions. The spatial extent and type of injuries to fish and birds of Green Bay caused by PCBs was determined, based on evidence of reproductive and deformative injuries to nesting colonial waterbirds, increased tumor incidence in walleye, and the presence of fish consumption advisories. Complete cleanup of the PCBs would be prohibitively expensive. Instead, environmental restoration will be conducted that enhances other aspects of environmental quality, such as restoring or preserving wetlands, reducing non-point source pollution, and improving recreational facilities. These actions can benefit the environment in ways that can offset the impacts of PCBs. A survey of public values was used to determine the amount of these types of environmental actions that is necessary to provide environmental benefits equal to those lost because of PCBs, thereby fully compensating for the PCB injuries. This approach provides an innovative and cost-effective means of addressing environmental restoration using methods that complement PCB remedial cleanup and simultaneously address other types of environmental benefits. Key words: PCBs, restoration, natural resource damage assessment |
