The St. Lawrence River Area of Concern (AOC) is a bi-national AOC shared between the United States, Canada, New York State and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT). The St. Lawrence river at Massena/Akwesasne AOC is the US portion of the AOC, where New York State and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe share responsibility to co-coordinate on management efforts. This area includes the waters of New York State from the Canadian boundary upstream to the Massena public water supply intake; the Grasse River from the mouth upstream to the breached wier in the Village of Massena; the Raquette River from the mouth upstream to the NYS Route 420 bridge; and the St. Regis River from the mouth upstream to NYS Route 37 Bridge; at Akwesasne.
Sources of pollution leading to the areas being designated as an AOC include the following:
- historical industrial discharges: Superfund sites within the AOC include the Reynolds Metals site, General Motors (Central Foundry Division)/RACER Trust site, and the Lower Grasse River site. Ongoing work in in these Superfund projects includes removing and/or capping contaminated sediment, dredging, landfill capping, and habitat reconstruction.
- municipal treatment facilities: as a result of historical industrial practices and improper waste disposal, stream bottom sediments in portions of the St. Lawrence River watershed have been contaminated by priority organics; local efforts underway to address these impairments include upgrades to wastewater infrastructure.
- atmospheric deposition: the St. Lawrence watershed has been impacted by depsotion of mercury and acid rain, from human activities such as mining and fossil fuel production.
- non-point source discharges: nutrient sources include runoff from agricultural and developed areas at the watershed scale, and from Lake Ontario.
- power dam and seaway construction: major modifications of the natural habitat of the St. Lawrence River have occurred as a result of construction of dams, locks, and dikes to facilitate navigation and generate electric power.
The efforts to clean and restore the AOC are ongoing and will improve the overall environment and positively impact the native fish and wildlife communities.
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe hold a co-coordination partnership to develop removal criteria and management actions to remove the six beneficial use impairments in this AOC.
Remedial Action Plan Documents
- Stage I RAP, November 1990 (PDF, 3.1 MB)
- Stage II RAP, August 1991 (PDF, 2.9 MB)
- Stage II RAP Addendum, 2012 (PDF, 74 KB)
Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) and Removal Reports
Beneficial Use Impairments were caused by decades of industrial contamination resulting in the loss of activities and knowledge. Removal of the following beneficial use impairments seeks to restore the Area of Concern, and reports will be linked as they become available, as follows:
- Restrictions on Fish and Wildlife Consumption
- Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat
- Degradation of Fish and Wildlife Populations
- Fish Tumors or Other Deformities
- Bird or Animal Deformities or Reproduction Problems
- Degradation of Benthos
- St. Lawrence River AOC Degradation of Phytoplankton and Zooplankton BUI Removal Report (PDF)
Additional Information and Links
St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Environment Division
St. Lawrence River Watershed Revitalization Plan
Massena AOC RAP Co-Coordinators:
Christopher Fidler
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Division of Water
Massena AOC Coordinator
317 Washington St.
Watertown, NY 13601-3787
Phone: (315) 785-2262
Jacob Wynn
Environmental Restoration Planner
Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
Environmental Division
(518) 358-2272 ext. 5051
