Ottawa River fish advisory lifted

3/1/2012

An advisory issued in 1991 against eating fish caught in the Ottawa River in Toledo, including the portion that flows through the University of Toledo, was lifted Wednesday for all fish except carp.

The advisory was issued by the Ohio Department of Health as a result of decades of manufacturing activity and improper waste disposal of hazardous substances in the Ottawa River. Sampling in 1986 and 1990 found high levels of cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish and sediment in the lower eight miles of the river.

A "do not wade or swim" contact advisory was lifted in 2010 for the western half of the Ottawa River, including the portion through UT.