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Cuyahoga River

• Background
• Beneficial Use Impairments
• Delisting Targets
• RAP Development and Status
• Significant RAP Milestones
• RAP Implementation
• RAP-Related Publications
• Community Involvement

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Background

The Cuyahoga River is located in northeast Ohio. It begins its 100-mile journey in Geauga County, and then flows south to Cuyahoga Falls where it turns sharply north until it empties into Lake Erie. The river drains 813 square miles of land in portions of six counties. Native Americans referred to the U-shaped river as the Cuyahoga or "crooked river."

The boundaries of the Area of Concern (AOC) were set by the Cuyahoga Remedial Action Plan Coordinating Committee (CCC) in 1988. The AOC includes the lower 45 miles of the river from the Ohio Edison Dam to the mouth as well as approximately 10 miles of Lake Erie shoreline, from Edgewater Park on the west side of Cleveland to Wildwood Park on the east. The AOC includes the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, which preserves 22 miles of river between the primary urban/industrial centers of Akron and Cleveland.

The Cuyahoga River RAP is supported by a non-profit organization that was created to provide staffing, support and financial services for RAP programs and projects. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency provides staff through a RAP coordinator who provides technical and educational support to coordinate and implement RAP actions and activities. Named by President Clinton as one of fourteen American Heritage Rivers, the RAP serves as the River Navigator for the Cuyahoga River American Heritage River which is supported by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Beneficial Use Impairments

• Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption
• Degradation of fish and wildlife populations
• Beach closings
• Fish tumors or other deformities
• Degradation of aesthetics
• Degradation of benthos
• Restriction on dredging activities
• Loss of fish and wildlife habitat

Cuyahoga River Beneficial Use Impairments (PDF) (3pp, 64K)

Fires plagued the Cuyahoga River beginning in 1936 when a spark from a blow torch ignited floating debris and oils. The largest river fire in 1952 caused over $1 million in damage to boats and a riverfront office building. By the 1960s the lower Cuyahoga River in Cleveland was used for waste disposal, and was choked with debris, oils, sludge, industrial wastes and sewage. These pollutants were considered a major source of impact to Lake Erie, which was considered "dead" at the time. On June 22, 1969 a river fire captured national attention. Time magazine described the Cuyahoga as the river that "oozes rather than flows" and in which a person "does not drown but decays." This event helped spur an avalanche of pollution control activities resulting in the Clean Water Act, Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and the creation of the federal and state Environmental Protection Agencies.

Ten of 14 use impairments have been identified through the Remedial Action Plan (RAP) process. These environmental problems are caused by cultural eutrophication (nutrients), toxic substances (PCBs, heavy metals), bacterial contamination, habitat modification, and sedimentation.

Sources for these contaminants include municipal and industrial discharges, bank erosion, commercial/residential development, atmospheric deposition, hazardous waste disposal sites, urban storm water runoff, combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and wastewater treatment plant bypasses.

In 2005 the Cuyahoga River RAP formed a Restoration/Delisting Work Group to assess these beneficial use impairments (BUIs) on a tributary-by-tributary basis, utilizing the Ohio Delisting Targets as a guide to determining BUI status. A preliminary report from the work group is expected in 2006.

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Delisting Targets

The Cuyahoga RAP is currently in the process of utilizing the Delisting Targets for Ohio Areas of Concern (PDF 1.7Mb, 85 pages) (Ohio EPA, June 2005) to assess the impairment status of the Cuyahoga River AOC on a river segment and tributary-by-tributary basis.

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RAP Development and Status

The Cuyahoga River RAP process began in 1988 when the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the designated lead agency for developing RAPs in Ohio, appointed a 33-member planning committee to develop the Cuyahoga River RAP. This group, the Cuyahoga River RAP Coordinating Committee or CCC, is a balanced representation of stakeholders in the planning process, with representatives from local, regional, state and federal agencies, businesses and industry, and citizen and environmental organizations. NOACA, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, provided planning support for the RAP. In June 1992 the Stage One Report was completed, identifying the impairments of beneficial uses and sources and causes of those impairments. This report was updated in early 1996 with the Stage One Update, which presented more recent data on issues previously addressed along with discussions on additional environmental issues. An Early Implementation Report issued in March 1996 describes the many projects and programs underway that will have a positive impact on the Cuyahoga River.

A State of the River Symposium (PDF 2.51Mb, 121 page) held in late 2001 provided an opportunity to update the BUI status of the AOC as well as a forum for providing progress reports on remedial measures and monitoring efforts underway to address impairment issues.

Preparation of the RAP is done by the CCC, with assistance from the Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization (CRCPO), a non-profit organization formed by the RAP Steering Committee to support its goals. Technical work is conducted by RAP staff and through various work groups established around specific issue areas (e.g., Habitat, Land Use, Human Health, Community Involvement, Fish & Aquatic Life, Socioeconomic, Wildlife, Plan Drafting, etc.) or grant-related projects (e.g., Big Creek Stream Stewardship Program, GLNPO Streambank Rehabilitation Project, Yellow Creek Stream Stewardship Program, Larval Fish Study, and Wetland Inventory Project).

In 2005 the RAP formed a Restoration/Delisting Work Group to update the BUI assessment of the AOC on a segment and tributary-by-tributary basis utilizing the Ohio Delisting Targets as guidelines.

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Significant RAP Milestones

• 2010: Cuyahoga River AOC Boundary Expansion Request (PDF 108Kb, 2 pages)
• 2010: Cuyahoga River AOC Boundary Expansion request letter (PDF 75Kb, 2 page)
• 2006: Bald Eagles have established at least two nesting sites within the AOC, including a new nest along the Cuyahoga River mainstream between Akron and Cleveland in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
• 2004: RAP/American Heritage River Initiative conducts a Symposium on "Investing in Healthy Streams Sustains Healthy Communities".
• 2004: USACE completes a Habitat Feasibility Study in the Cuyahoga River Navigation Channel that provides potential technologies and possible sites for habitat improvement projects, produces a report on Conceptual Designs for Improvement of Larval Fish Populations.
• 2003: RAP consultants complete a GIS Wetlands Inventory and Restoration Assessment. Project for the Cuyahoga County portion of the AOC funded by the Lake Erie Protection Fund.
• 2003: USEPA approves Ohio EPA’s Lower Cuyahoga River TMDL Report outlining sources and causes for biological and water quality impairments along with remedial measures.
• 2002: RAP publishes Proceedings from the 2001 State of the River Symposium (PDF 2.51Mb, 121 page).
• 2001: RAP holds State of the River Symposium highlighting progress in addressing beneficial use impairments.
• 1999: RAP completes Strategic Planning process and publishes Program Strategies (PDF 88Kb, 35 page) guide.
• 1998: RAP achieves presidential designation of the Cuyahoga River watershed as one of fourteen American Heritage Rivers in the nation.
• 1996: Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan Stage One Update Report -- Impairment of Beneficial Uses and Sources of Pollution in the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern completed.
• 1996: Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan – Progress in Restoring the Environmental Quality of the Cuyahoga River: An Early Implementation Report completed.
  1992: Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan Stage One Report – Impairments of Beneficial Uses and Sources and Causes in the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern completed.
• 1989: Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization (CRCPO) established by the CCC to support RAP activities.
• 1988: Cuyahoga River RAP Coordinating Committee (CCC) established by Ohio EPA.
• 1969: The "burning" Cuyahoga River creates a national scandal, and a challenge to clean up polluted urban rivers.

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RAP Implementation

Recent progress and achievements

2005

• The RAP conducted a workshop on the utilization of a recently completed GIS-based Decision Support System Tool to aid area planners and designers take watershed-based environmental impacts into consideration in transportation projects. This project was supported by the Lake Erie Protection Fund, U.S. EPA, USGS and NOACA.
• The RAP provided a watershed stewardship workshop for area realtors on "Protecting Streams Adds Property Value".
• RAP nonprofit Executive Director Jim White participated in the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration, AOC Restoration/Sediments Strategy Team.
• The RAP received funding to provide college interns and staff support to Ohio EPA and Kenyon College to conduct a Cuyahoga Watershed Wetland Assessment Project, identifying and surveying over 300 wetlands throughout the watershed.
• The RAP completed the Stearns Farm Stream Restoration Project in Parma; conducted under a Five-Star grant with U.S. EPA, City of Parma, U.S. Forest Service, Cuyahoga RAP and West Creek Preservation Committee.

2003

• RAP/AHR provides support to the Scientific Outreach and Applications using Remote Sensing (SOARS) Program graduate students to create a comprehensive GIS database for the Cuyahoga River watershed.
• Ohio EPA completed an assessment of contaminated sediments on the Old Channel of the Cuyahoga River navigation channel; PAHs were found to be the primary critical pollutant, next steps are to consider options for remediation.
• RAP nonprofit Executive Director Jim White assumes River Navigator role for the American Heritage River Initiative to replace US Forest Service staff.

2002

• RAP participates in development of Cuyahoga County Greenspace Plan.
• RAP participates in public stakeholders meetings and provides input for the Lower Cuyahoga River Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Project.
• RAP completes larval fish study, produces a Report on the Findings of the Fisheries Advisory Panel Examining Larval Fish Data from the Cuyahoga River.

2001

• RAP completes State of Big Creek and State of Yellow Creek Reports.
• RAP publishes award winning Life at the Water's Edge: Living in Harmony with Your Backyard Stream and conducts two Streamside Management Workshops for local communities.

With the concentrated efforts of the stakeholder organizations represented on the CCC, considerable progress has been made in the development and implementation of the Cuyahoga River RAP. The CRCPO currently operates with funding support from The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, The GAR Foundation and The Ohio EPA, local stake holders and donations to provide staffing and planning support to pursue RAP goals and implement RAP projects for the benefit of the Cuyahoga River and its surrounding watershed. Many activities have been undertaken by the RAP and its partners to address beneficial use impairments and involve local communities and area stakeholders. Highlights of recent progress and achievements include the following:

Current projects and outlook

The Cuyahoga River RAP process continues to address the issues and problems identified by the Stage One Report and Update. It has been very successful thus far in garnering resources and funding to undertake these projects and programs. Much of the success in this area is attributed to the organizational structure of the RAP and its use of a non-profit organization, the CRCPO.

Significant actions have been undertaken by the RAP and its partners to restore the beneficial uses of the Cuyahoga River. Research efforts into understanding the complex nature of the river ecosystem continue, and will help focus RAP actions in the future. Aggressive efforts have been made to develop a public and community involvement strategy that guides the outreach and education efforts of the RAP.

Current priority issues of the RAP include several that are outgrowths of recent projects and studies. These include habitat restoration, navigation channel dissolved oxygen/larval fish studies, stream stewardship, wetland identification, urban storm water management and comprehensive environmental education and community involvement. Additionally:

• $500,000 in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) has been earmarked for the development and evaluation of "Green Bulkheads" in the Cuyahoga River navigation channel in FY 2006. The RAP will be coordinating identification and implementation of projects to modify current steel bulkhead stream banks with fish-habitat friendly structures. This federal support for the development of a new, innovative stream bank edge system will promote revitalization of the Cuyahoga Valley, reduce long-term maintenance costs and promote attainment of biological water quality goals, including improvements in fish community populations.
  
• The RAP has received funding from GLNPO to assist the Restoration/Delisting Work Group in assessing beneficial use impairment status of river segments and individual tributaries utilizing the Ohio Delisting Targets as a guideline. The work group and RAP staff plan to meet on a regular basis in 2006.
• The RAP has received funding from GLNPO to assist the Restoration/Delisting Work Group in assessing beneficial use impairment status of river segments and individual tributaries utilizing the Ohio Delisting Targets as a guideline. The work group and RAP staff plan to meet on a regular basis in 2006.
• The RAP and several of its members, including the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Cleveland Metroparks, and Ohio Department of Natural Resources are working on developing a feasibility study for the removal or modification of the Brecksville (SR82) Dam. This is the first dam upstream of Lake Erie and is a source of fish community degradation due to loss of fish passage. Ohio EPA is leading the effort to produce a report within the next two years that will detail options and costs for removal or modification.
  
• The RAP has received local foundation funding to continue to work with local stakeholders to establish a Cuyahoga/Lake Erie Environmental Restoration Technology Enterprise Center (CLEERTEC) to establish a collaboration of regulators, local universities, and businesses to support new and innovative approaches to watershed restoration and remediation.
  
• The West Creek Preservation Committee received $3 million from Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District under an Ohio EPA Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program (WRRSP) to remove old dams and upgrade structures to restore fish passage in this Cuyahoga River tributary. Construction is expected to be initiated in 2006.
  
• The RAP expects to disseminate information and data from the 2005 Cuyahoga Watershed Wetland Assessment Project to local communities to aid them in adopting policies and regulatory mechanisms to protect these natural resources.
  
• The RAP is working with local communities in the Chippewa Creek tributary watershed to obtain funding to establish a balanced growth initiative program.
  
• The Lower Cuyahoga River TMDL Report (Ohio EPA, 2003) recommended that a Stressor Identification Study be conducted on the Tinkers Creek tributary to determine the sources and cause of degraded biological communities. Ohio EPA, with the support of the RAP, will continue to conduct this study with local watershed community stakeholders in 2006.

The Cuyahoga River RAP stakeholder members are also committed to honoring the designation of the Cuyahoga River as an American Heritage River. The historical, cultural and environmental significance of this river, as well as its past, present and future economic impacts on the nation, make it a worthy selection for such recognition. Because of the efforts of dedicated agencies, organizations, local stakeholders and private individuals, the Cuyahoga River will never burn again!

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RAP-Related Publications

The RAP/AHR continues to produce a number of educational brochures on water stewardship topics for local citizens and elected officials. These publications include:

• Streams and Watersheds of the Cuyahoga (PDF 379Kb, 4 pages)
• Urbanization in the Cuyahoga Watershed (PDF 4.14Mb, 8 pages)
• Wetlands in the Cuyahoga River Watershed
• Protecting Drinking Water in the Cuyahoga (PDF 1.01Mb, 4 pages)
• Riparian Corridors in the Cuyahoga River Watershed (PDF 552Kb, 4 pages)
• Cuyahoga, Ohio’s American Heritage River
• Adopt a Watershed
• Understanding TMDL or "Total Maximum Daily Load"
• Erie Streams and Rivers: Operation and Maintenance (PDF 1.67Mb, 4 pages)
• Home Sewage Treatment Systems
• Headwater streams in the Watershed (in development)
• Trees and Forest Canopy as Watershed Protection Tools (in development)
• Grass and Lawns in the Cuyahoga River Watershed (in development)
• Stream Restoration Projects – Stearns Farm (in development)
• Planning and Funding Long-term Watershed Stewardship (in development)

The State RAP Coordinator produces a bimonthly newsletter, the "Cuyahoga River Rap-Up" of Ohio EPA and RAP related activities. These brochures and newsletters are available at the Cuyahoga River RAP web site at http://www.cuyahogariverrap.org/RAP/RAP-UP.html.

Additional publications include:

• Lower Cuyahoga River TMDL Report , Ohio EPA, 2003
• Proceedings from the 2001 State of the River Symposium
  (PDF 2.51Mb, 121 pages)
• RAP Program Strategies 1999 - 2003
  (PDF 73Kb, 35 pages)

The RAP and its member stakeholders have also collaborated to produce several regional educational brochures, including:

• Community Riparian and Wetland Guidance, Putting all the Pieces Together
  (PDF 3.32Mb, 16 pages)
• Life at the Waters Edge – Living in Harmony with you Backyard Stream
• Consider Conservation Easements – Information for Southern Lake Erie Watershed Property Owners

More information on these publications can be obtained by contacting the individuals listed in the Cuyahoga River AOC Contacts section below.

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Community Involvement

Our overall mission could be summarized as Rediscover, Respect and Revitalize Ohio’s American Heritage River. The RAP approach is to be friendly, knowledgeable and supportive as we plan and promote renovation and preservation of the Cuyahoga River and its tributaries. Our resources are focused on assisting citizens and localities to work together in addressing ways to restore and preserve our waterways.

The Cuyahoga River RAP continues to support the development and coordination of tributary watershed stewardship groups in the AOC, including Friends of Big Creek, Pond Brook Watershed Initiative, Friends of the Crooked River, Yellow Creek Watershed Council, Tinkers Creek Watershed Council, Euclid Creek Watershed Council, West Creek Preservation Committee, and Doan Brook Watershed Partnership. Some recent examples of community involvement activities include the following:

Mill Creek Community Action Plan
The Cuyahoga RAP has been contracted by the Cuyahoga County Board of Health to create a comprehensive community action plan for the Mill Creek watershed. This effort includes data gathering and collection, identification of information gaps, and determining ways to coalesce an effective community watershed stewardship organization.

Community Attitude Survey
In 2005 the RAP assisted the Cleveland Division of Water and NEORSD in completing a survey of local communities and community leaders regarding their attitudes about water and water quality. Results of the survey will be released in early 2006.

Navigation Channel Habitat Improvement Projects
On November 14, 2005 the RAP participated in a Revegetation and Wetlands Workshop sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission. Many representatives from navigation channel businesses, city and county planners, and the shipping industry attended to learn about and promote potential habitat restoration opportunities. The RAP continues to work to find funding and landowner partners to install demonstration fish habitat improvement projects in this area.

Euclid Creek Stewardship Week
Watershed stewardship activities were held September 13-17, 2005 including a Lake Erie boat tour, stream clean ups, stream monitoring, motor oil recycling and guest speakers.

Ohio Edison Gorge Dam Opposition
The Cuyahoga RAP and many of its member stakeholder organizations have voiced unanimous opposition to the Metro Hydroelectric Company from obtaining a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license for the purpose of producing hydroelectric energy at the Ohio Edison Gorge Dam – the upstream boundary of the RAP AOC. A public hearing on July 27, 2005 attracted nearly 400 people that revealed strong opposition and concern from multiple government agencies, non-profit organizations, and the general public.

Riverday 2005
Thousands of people participated in this 15th annual celebration of the Cuyahoga River, which included volunteer service projects in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and West Creek Preserve. The largest event was the Burning River Festival at Voinovich Park in Cleveland, which celebrated the Cuyahoga with music, speakers, ceremonies, informational displays and tours of the R/V Lake Guardian.

Stearns Farm Restoration Project
On June 16, 2005 Dale Bosworth, Chief of the US Forest Service visited the Stearns Farm Stream Restoration Project site as part of a day long trip to the area. His visit served as an informal dedication of the project, and included remarks from the City of Parma, West Creek Preservation Committee, USEPA and the Cuyahoga RAP/American Heritage River program.

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