140 7th Avenue S.
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
Tel: (727) 873-4063        Fax: (727) 873-4526

PCB’s, along with PAH’s, and organochlorine pesticides are contaminants in the Tampa Bay area which have been monitored since 1993 (Grabe and Barron, 2002). Four parts of the Tampa Bay have been significantly studied including: the lower Hillsborough River, Palm River, Alfia River, and Little Manatee River. PCB’s have been detected in extremely high concentrations in the Palm river, moderate to high concentrations in the Hillsborough river and low to moderate concentrations in portions of upper Hillsborough Bay. Based on the areas already affected by PCB’s it has been suggested that future work be done in areas of the Ybor channel and the Seddon Channel. It has also been suggested that storm water runoff and landfill leaching are the likely perpetrators of PCB’s in the Tampa Bay area. PCB sediment contamination in Tampa Bay has led to morphological and histochemical changes in fish and increased defense mechanisms in oysters (McCain et al, 1996; Fisher et al, 2000). Since, the high levels of PCB’s in the Tampa Bay Area are of concern, there is a need for a low cost effective remediation technique. This project will develop the necessary technique and future work includes in situ remediation of PCB’s in the Palm River.