A critical part of this country’s environmental history, the Cuyahoga River travels 100 miles from Geauga County, past Cuyahoga Falls, and through the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area located between the urban and industrial centers of Akron and Cleveland, before emptying into Lake Erie. The Cuyahoga River Watershed drains 813 square miles in Cuyahoga, Summit, Portage, Geauga and Medina Counties in northeast Ohio.

The Cuyahoga River played an important role in the birth of the environmental movement. In 1936, a spark from a blow torch ignited floating debris and oils and set the river on fire. The river was plagued by fires until 1969, when a fire caught the attention of the nation and helped spur a great deal of environmental legislation, including the Clean Water Act, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the creation of national and state Environmental Protection Agencies. As a result, large point sources of pollution on the Cuyahoga have received significant attention from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in recent decades. Water quality has improved and, in recognition of this improvement, the Cuyahoga River was designated as one of 14 American Heritage Rivers in 1998. Yet, pollution problems, particularly nonpoint source problems, remain. For this reason, the Environmental Protection Agency classified portions of the Cuyahoga River Watershed as one of 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern, warranting development of a Remedial Action Plan (RAP).

The RAP

The Cuyahoga Remedial Action Plan process began in 1988 when the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency formed the Cuyahoga River RAP Coordinating Committee (CCC), consisting of 33 representatives from local, regional, state and federal agencies, private corporations, and citizen and environmental organizations. The mission of the RAP is to plan and promote the restoration and preservation of beneficial uses of the lower Cuyahoga River and near-shore Lake Erie through remediation of existing conditions and prevention of further pollution and degradation. Sources of water quality impairment have been identified and are being addressed through a variety of restoration activities. Several demonstration projects have been constructed that show the potential of bioengineering techniques for stream restoration. These projects demonstrated a variety of successful remedies for soil erosion and flooding problems. Other types of projects include the City of Akron’s separate sewer overflow elimination program and plans to address combined sewer overflows.

A variety of research studies have been funded to promote understanding of water quality impairments and aid in the development and refinement of educational programs. Studies include navigation channel re-aeration feasibility, fish advisories, creel surveys, community preference polls, fish tissue, phytoplankton and larval fish studies, US Geological Survey bacterial studies and bioengineering projects.

Community Involvement

The Cuyahoga River Watershed RAP strives to reduce water pollution levels and enhance stewardship of the watershed’s resources by boosting community awareness and involvement in local restoration efforts. More than 50 educational RAP presentations are made annually to civic, school and professional groups. Five thousand storm drains have been stenciled to discourage inappropriate dumping. Biannual newsletters update approximately 6,500 stakeholders.

Watershed-wide restoration efforts like river and stream cleanups, biological stream monitoring by volunteers and interested groups and an annual Riverday are supported by more closely focused activities based in municipal and township units. Programs such as the Big Creek Stream Stewardship Program involve locally-based education and outreach activities, habitat improvement projects, data collection and storm drain stenciling. Scouts can earn the "Cuyahoga River RAP Stream Stewardship" patch by working on a number of volunteer and educational activities.

Noticeable environmental improvements have already been recorded in the Cuyahoga River. A 1998 larval fish study documented usage of the river as a navigation channel for Lake Erie fish migration. Follow-up studies in 1999 confirmed these results and documented the presence of steelhead trout adults.

State and Federal Partners The Cuyahoga River Watershed RAP receives financial support from numerous sources including the federal government and the State of Ohio, and local support through the Soil and Water Conservation Districts in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Portage and Summit Counties. State partners include the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Health and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Partners in federal government include the DOI National Park Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and USDA Forest Service.

Table of Contents

http://water.usgs.gov/owq/cleanwater/success/cuyahoga.html
Created October 13, 2000