Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Survey, Leslie Run and Bull Creek Downstream of East Palestine, Ohio
Big Pine Consultants LLC conducted an aquatic macroinvertebrate survey at Leslie Run and Bull Creek to assess ecological recovery following a 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailment caused a significant pollutant discharge into Sulphur Run, which spread downstream to Leslie Run, Bull Creek, North Fork Little Beaver Creek, Little Beaver Creek, and the Ohio River. This survey, completed on March 7, 2025, followed water chemistry sampling by Big Pine and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), which indicated substantial pollutant dilution downstream, with Sulphur Run, Leslie Run, and Bull Creek being the most impacted streams. Aquatic macroinvertebrates returned to Leslie Run and Bull Creek downstream of East Palestine!
Key Findings from 2023 Sampling
In 2023, Leslie Run at Bye Road exhibited a “flashy” sheen when sediments were disturbed, with periphyton showing a dark brown or maroon discoloration. Bull Creek lacked the sheen but had similarly discolored periphyton. Fish were observed in Bull Creek but absent in Leslie Run, suggesting severe ecological damage. Big Pine hypothesized that the aquatic macroinvertebrate community in Leslie Run was likely eradicated, with Bull Creek experiencing significant impacts.
2025 Macroinvertebrate Survey Methodology
To evaluate recovery, Big Pine employed Rapid Bioassessment Protocols, using a D-frame net with a kicking motion across various habitat types to collect approximately 200 macroinvertebrates per site. Samples were preserved, sorted, identified, and analyzed using Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) calculations to assess water quality and ecosystem health.
Survey Results: Signs of Recovery
The 2025 survey revealed that Leslie Run and Bull Creek now support aquatic macroinvertebrates sensitive to pollution, with IBI scores indicating fair to good water quality. This marks a significant improvement from the 2023 derailment’s immediate aftermath. However, both sites lack macroinvertebrates in the predator functional feeding group, signaling incomplete ecological recovery.
Recommendations for Future Monitoring
Big Pine recommends ongoing monitoring to track improvements in IBI metrics and the recovery of the predator functional feeding group. Continued assessments will help determine the long-term ecological health of Leslie Run and Bull Creek.
Keywords: aquatic macroinvertebrate survey, Leslie Run, Bull Creek, train derailment East Palestine, water quality recovery, Index of Biotic Integrity, Rapid Bioassessment Protocols, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, pollutant discharge, ecological monitoring.
You can find a copy of the report here: Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Survey, Leslie Run and Bull Creek Downstream of East Palestine, Ohio
Additional Resources:
Ohio Aquatic Macros – a great local key for identification of Ohio aquatic macroinvertebrates to genus and sometimes species level. It has a lot of photos and is pretty consistent with keys such as Merritt and Cummins.
Macroinvertebrates.org – another good key to assist with aquatic insect identification. This is a great resource to see good photographs of important insect body parts, but has fewer taxa represented to identify beyond family. It makes for a good first pass to get close to an ID and to see what different insect parts look like when using other keys.
East Palestine Train Derailment Information – Ohio Environmental Protection Agency response information and data is available here.