Upper Ohio River navigation study

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Pittsburgh District is concluding a multi-year feasibility study for modernization of the three historic locks and dams on the Ohio River in Pennsylvania (PA).  The study will recommend new locks at the existing facilities and ecosystem restoration projects.  The study evaluated fish passage alternatives and included preliminary hydroacoustic surveys of fish distribution in dam tailwaters.  Baseline surveys were also conducted for mussels and larval fish, and new bathymetric, sidescan, and benthic substrate data were collected for the entire project area.  Mussel surveys at 35 non-random sampling points found unionid populations low in density and diversity (110 live mussels; eight species, six proposed for listing); yet, of note were two live fawnsfoot (Truncilla donaciformis; status “unknown” in PA), one fresh-dead deertoe (T. truncata; considered “extirpated” in PA), and evidence of active reproduction in other species.  Larval fish collections from 29 sites represented 61 species, confirming successful spawning by listed and candidate species (n = 8), all sport species (n = 15), and most other species detected.  The study’s planning process benefited from interagency coordination, periodic meetings, and additional data collected by ORSANCO and others.