Great Lakes
Site Information
- Cleveland, OH (Cuyahoga County)
- Cuyahoga River AOC Boundary Map (PDF) (1pg, 482K)
- Cuyahoga shape file (ZIP) (87K)
Contact
EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
Karen Rodriguez
rodriguez.karen@epa.gov
312-353-2690
Key Documents 
Cuyahoga River
Contents
Latest News
Current priority issues of the remedial action plan include several that are outgrowths of recent projects and studies. Habitat restoration, navigation channel dissolved oxygen/larval fish studies, stream stewardship, wetland identification, urban storm water management, and comprehensive environmental education and community involvement are all major priorities. The RAP has received funding from the EPA – Great Lakes National Program Office to assist the restoration/delisting work group in assessing beneficial use status of river segments and individual tributaries utilizing the Ohio delisting targets as a guideline.
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!
About the Cuyahoga River
The Cuyahoga River is located in northeast Ohio. It begins its 100-mile journey in Geauga County and 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 were set by the Cuyahoga RAP Coordinating Committee 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 also encompasses the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area which preserves 22 miles of river between the primary urban/industrial centers of Akron and Cleveland.
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" (devoid of fish) 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.
The beneficial use impairments of the river are caused by cultural eutrophication, toxic substances, 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 and wastewater treatment plant bypasses.
Remedial Action Plan
The Cuyahoga River RAP process began in 1988 when the Ohio EPA, 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, is a balanced representation of stakeholders in the planning process and is comprised of representatives from local, regional, state and federal agencies, businesses and industry, and citizen and environmental organizations. The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency provided planning support for the RAP.
In June 1992, the stage I report was completed, identifying the impairments of beneficial uses and sources along with the causes of those impairments. This report was updated in early 1996, which presented more recent data on issues previously addressed along with discussions on other environmental issues. Several of the impairments have shown improvement, especially degradations of fish and wildlife populations. The establishment of bald eagles in the AOC in 2006 was a major accomplishment in the remedial action process.
Preparation of the RAP is done by the CCC, with assistance from the Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization, a nonprofit 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 or grant-related projects.
Currently, none of the BUIs have been delisted. The boundary of the Cuyahoga River AOC was expanded in 2010 to include the Gorge Dam pool so that it could receive funding under the Great Lakes Legacy Act to remove sediment and increase remediation.
Beneficial Use Impairments
Ten of 14 beneficial use impairments have been identified through the RAP process. The Cuyahoga RAP is currently in the process of utilizing the 2008 delisting targets document to assess the impairment status of the Cuyahoga River AOC on a river segment and tributary-by-tributary basis. The Ohio EPA and CCC made a request in 2009 to delist the following BUIs: degradation of fish populations; degradation of benthos; loss of fish habitat; and fish tumors or other deformities. They also proposed to change the status of the follow BUIs from “unknown” to “not impaired”: tainting of fish and wildlife flavor; degradation of wildlife populations; and bird or animal deformities or reproductive problems.
- 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
Milestones
- 2010: Cuyahoga River AOC Boundary Expansion Request to include the Gorge Dam pool was granted by the EPA – GLNPO.
- 2006: Bald eagles establish 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: The Army Corps of Engineers complete a habitat feasibility study in the Cuyahoga River navigation channel that provides potential technologies and possible sites for habitat improvement projects and produces a report on conceptual designs for improvements in larval fish populations.
- 2003: RAP consultants complete a GIS wetlands inventory and restoration assessment.
- 2003: U.S. EPA approves Ohio EPA’s Lower Cuyahoga River TMDL report outlining sources and causes for biological and water quality impairments along with remedial measures.
- 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 I Update Report - Impairment of Beneficial Uses and Sources of Pollution in the Cuyahoga River AOC 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 RAP stage I report completed.
- 1989: Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization established by the CCC to support RAP activities.
- 1988: Cuyahoga River RAP Coordinating Committee established by Ohio EPA.
- 1969: The "burning" Cuyahoga River creates a national scandal and a challenge to clean up polluted urban rivers.
Documents
You will need the free Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
- 2010 Boundary Expansion Request, June 2010
- Urbanization in the Cuyahoga Watershed (PDF) (8 pp, 4.1MB) April 2005
- Protecting Drinking Water in the Cuyahoga (PDF) (4 pp, 1MB) April 2005
- Riparian Corridors in the Cuyahoga River Watershed (PDF) (4 pp, 552K), April 2005
- Streams and Watersheds of the Cuyahoga brochure (PDF) (4 pp, 379K) June 2004
- Total Maximum Daily Loads for the Lower Cuyahoga River, September 2003
- Cuyahoga River RAP State of the River report – Proceedings from the October 2001 State of the River Symposium, January 2002
- RAP Program Strategies, 1999-2003, March 1999
- Total Maximum Daily Loads for the Lower Cuyahoga River, September 2003
- Cuyahoga River RAP State of the River report – Proceedings from the October 2001 State of the River Symposium, January 2002
Community Involvement
The Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization 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. CRCPO has created several educational brochures related to the Clinton River watershed that are available under the Documents section. They also present in schools and other public meetings to stress the importance of the delisting the Clinton River AOC. CRCPO holds many events, especially in the summer months, for residents to learn more about the river.
Partners and Stakeholders