CHEMICAL OBSERVATIONS ON POLLUTION 



Casimir J. Munter, Chemist 

 Ohio State University 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction Ill 



Methods Ill 



Centers of pollution Ill 



Buffalo Harbor 112 



Stations 06, 24, and 09 114 



Dunkirk 114 



Stations 11 and 12, and Port Dover ... 115 



Erie 115 



Port Burwell and Port Stanley 117 



Ashtabula 117 



Station 38 119 



Cleveland 119 



Lorain 121 



Sandusky 121 



Summary 122 



Conclusion 122 



INTRODUCTION 



An important aspect of the Lake Erie investiga- 

 tions was a determination of the extent and concen- 

 tration of pollution from sewage and industrial 

 wastes. During the second summer, Le. 1929, the 

 boats Veto and Investigator, belonging to the Ohio 

 State Division of Fish and Game were used for chem- 

 ical investigations on the western end of the lake in 

 the interims between the regular monthly cruises of 

 the Shearwater . The data and discussion of the re- 

 sults of analyses made in this western area appear 

 in another report dealing with the general investi- 

 gations in that region (Wright 1955). The present 

 paper deals chiefly with the work performed on the 

 Shearwater during the summer of 1929, with some 

 consideration also of the preliminary results of the 

 first season's work in 1928. 



METHODS 



During the first year when investigations were in - 

 itiated in the eastern part of the lake, analyses were 

 made on samples obtained at intermediate depths 

 and at the surface and bottom. During the second 



season samples were collected at the surface and 

 at the bottom of all stations visited, while at cer- 

 tain particular stations samples were also taken at 

 various other depths. As far as it was possible to 

 do so, all bottom samples were taken from a point 

 1 meter above the bottom. However, because of the 

 rolling of the boat the distance of the sampler from 

 the bottom was increased to 2 meters at certain times. 

 For determinations the Standard Methods of Water 

 A nalysis of the American Public Health Association 

 (1925) were used. The results are stated as parts 

 per million in this report. 



CENTERS OF POLLUTION 



During the summer of 1928 a number of analy- 

 ses were made by Roger WiUiams, Buffalo City Chem- 

 ist, for the purpose of determining the extent of pol- 

 lution, if any, in the open waters at the eastern end 

 of Lake Erie. The results and conclusions from that 

 work briefly were as follows: The amount of organic 

 pollution was tested by several kinds of nitrogen anal- 

 yses, all of which indicated no objectionable pollu- 

 tion in the open lake. The free ammonia content 

 never reached more than 0. 038 p. p. m. of nittogen 

 and averaged 0. 016 p. p. m. Albuminoid ammonia 

 showed a minimum figure of 0. 06 p.p. m. and a 

 maximum of 0. 12 p. p. m. with an average of 0. 08 

 p. p. m. of nitrogen for the entire eastern end of the 

 lake. The nitrate analyses indicated moderate 

 amounts of nitrogen in its completely oxidized state. 

 The largest quantity was determined in July at 0.20 

 p.p. m. ; the smallest occurred in August at 0. 08 

 p. p. m. Nitrates averaged about 0. 14 p. p. m. 



As regards industrial wastes, the pH determina- 

 tions and the phenolphthalein and methyl -orange 

 titrations showed no indication of pollution. The 

 range of all the observations was found to fall within 

 the limits of variability which may be classed as 

 natural phenomena. 



The preliminary report (Fish^t al. 1929) states 

 that "as regards the open lake water the analyses war- 

 rant the conclusion that the lake proper is normal and 

 free from objectionable pollution. In conclusion it 

 ought to be pointed out that the analyses made and 

 the conclusions drawn from the assembled data do not 

 apply to the conditions that may exist in shallow 

 water near shore. " 



111 



