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photo of Presque Isle Bay

Topic Overview

Presque Isle Bay is a 3,655-acre embayment located in northwestern Pennsylvania on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The bay is 4.9 miles long, 1.8 miles wide, has an average depth of 13.1 feet. Presque Isle Bay is formed to the north by Presque Isle State Park and to the south by a 26.2 square-mile, highly urbanized watershed, including portions of Millcreek Township, City of Erie, Harborcreek Township, Summit Township, and Greene Township. The City of Erie, founded in 1792, grew around Presque Isle Bay. Like so many Great Lakes cities, Erie’s history and bayfront are characterized by industrial and wastewater problems. A transition of the city’s bayfront began in the 1980s, as it transitioned from an industrial-dominated zone to one of tourism and recreation. As industry began to fade from the Erie area in the early 1980s, environmentally minded citizens banded together with the common goal of restoring and protecting Presque Isle Bay. In 1991, their efforts ultimately lead to Presque Isle Bay being listed as an Area of Concern (AOC) under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. In February 2013, after decades of research and improvements to the bay’s watershed, Presque Isle Bay was removed from the list of Great Lakes AOCs. Despite being removed from the list of AOCs, ensuring that the health of the Presque Isle Bay ecosystem continues to improve remains a priority among the agencies, academic institutions, and non-profits working in the region.

News and Initiatives

  • Presque Isle Bay Buoy The water quality buoy in Presque Isle Bay tracks the daily conditions of the bay and monitors for harmful algal blooms. The buoy, purchased by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection with Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funds, records temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, turbidity, blue-green algae, and total chlorophyll. The buoy is one of several buoys maintained by the Regional Science Consortium to provide information about weather and ecological conditions for boaters, anglers, swimmers, and researchers.

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  • Using Fishes to Assess the Ecological Health of Presque Isle Bay Researchers from the Pennsylvania Sea Grant College Program, Penn State University, and U.S. Geological Survey are currently assessing the ecological health of Presque Isle Bay by comparing liver, skin, and gonadal tumor rates within smallmouth bass, bowfin, yellow bullhead, and brown bullhead, and evaluating the occurrence of intersex in these species. For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Sea Grant website. 

Presque Isle Bay Resources

Title Publication Year Resource Type
A Study of Tumors in Fish of Presque Isle Bay 1995 Research Reports
A Physical and Chemical Assessment of Presque Isle Bay Watershed Streams 2002 Research Reports
A Preliminary Survey of Tumors in Brown Bullheads in Presque Isle Bay, Lake Erie, Erie, Pennsylvania 1984 Research Reports
An Evaluation of Human Health Risks from Contaminants in Presque Isle Bay Erie, Pennsylvania 2012 Research Reports
An evaluation of sediment quality conditions in Presque Isle Bay (2005-2015) 2015 Research Reports
An Evaluation of Sediment Quality Conditions in Presque Isle Bay and Tributaries of the Bay (2005-2009) 2009 Research Reports
An Evaluation of Sediment Quality Conditions in Presque Isle Bay Area of Concern, Pennsylvania 2005 Research Reports
An Evaluation of Sediment Quality Conditions in the Tributaries of Presque Isle Bay: 2001-2011 2012 Research Reports
An Evaluation of the Presque Isle Bay Watershed Fish Community: 2001-2011 2012 Research Reports
An Evaluation of the Presque Isle Bay Watershed Macroinvertebrate Community and Stream Habitat: 2011 2013 Research Reports
An Evaluation of Water Quality Conditions in the Tributaries of Presque Isle Bay: 2012 2012 Research Reports
Approach to the Development of Delisting Targets for the Presque Isle Bay Area of Concern, Pennsylvania 2005 Policy Docs
Assessment of the Fish Tumor Beneficial Use Impairment in Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) at Selected Great Lakes Areas of Concern 2014 Research Reports
Delisting the Restrictions on Dredging Activities Beneficial Use Impairment in the Presque Isle Bay Area of Concern 2006 Policy Docs
Development of Delisting Targets for Presque Isle Bay Area of Concern Workshop Summary Report: Delisting Targets 2005 Proceeding
Development of Delisting Targets for Presque Isle Bay Area of Concern Workshop Summary Report: Sediment Quality Monitoring 2005 Proceeding
Development of Standardized Criteria for the Assessment of Brown Bullhead Lesions and Deformities in Areas of Concern Conference Proceedings 2006 Proceeding
Evaluation of the extent and transport capabilities of atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Lake Erie watershed 2007 Research Reports
Field Manual for Assessing Internal and External Anomalies in Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) 2006 Plans Manuals
Final Report: An Assessment of Sediment Quality in Presque Isle Bay 2002 Research Reports
Final Report: Presque Isle Bay Sediment Study 1997 Research Reports
Fish Tumors Related to Great Lakes Areas of Concern Conference Proceedings 2003 Proceeding
Investigating the Possible Association of Virus with Orocutaneous Lesions in Brown Bullhead 2012 Research Reports
Investigation into the Hybridization of Ameiurus catfish in Presque Isle Bay, Erie, Pennsylvania 2007 Research Reports
Manual for the Microscopic Diagnosis of Proliferative Liver and Skin Lesions in the Brown Bullhead 2007 Plans Manuals
Preliminary Report: Results of 1985 Survey of Tumors in Brown Bullheads from Presque Isle Bay 1985 Research Reports
Presque Isle Bay Area of Concern Final Stage 3 Remedial Action Plan: Delisting 2012 Policy Docs
Presque Isle Bay Area of Concern Screening-Level Ecological Risk Assessment Erie, Pennsylvania 2012 Research Reports
Presque Isle Bay Brown Bullhead Study 1993 Research Reports
Presque Isle Bay Remedial Action Plan (1992) 1992 Policy Docs