EPA Celebrates Progress Of Northeast Ohio Waterways

CLEVELAND — EPA's top official celebrated environmental accomplishments in Ohio on Wednesday.

Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced that the final beneficial use impairment at the Ashtabula River Area of Concern had been lifted, and all management actions at the Black River have been completed.

“I’m proud – both as EPA Administrator and as an Ohioan – to announce that the Ashtabula River is the first AOC in the state to begin the delisting process,” Wheeler said. “We are within sight of the finish line in terms of returning Ohio’s rivers to health again – so they can again become a place where people can swim, play, catch fish, and generally enjoy what this great state has to offer.”

In the mid-2000s, EPA and state and federal agencies began cleaning up contaminated sediment in the Ashtabula River. The groups have spent more than $67 million on restoring the river. In September, the EPA removed the final beneficial use impairment for the river, which restricted dredging activities.

More than 35 acres of slag piles along Lorain-owned property will be graded to restore the Black River's habitat for birds and wildlife.

Northeast Ohio's most renowned river — the Cuyahoga — still have seven beneficial use impairments restricting use of the river. There are currently 16 projects in motion to clean contaminated sediment and restore degraded fish and wildlife habitat in the river.

“Through a combination of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding and strong partnerships with our local, state and federal partners, more than $24 million has been spent on completing habitat restoration projects in the Black River AOC,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator/Great Lakes National Program Manager Kurt A. Thiede.

In late August, a fuel tanker crashed and spilled its cargo into the Cuyahoga River in Akron. The river soon caught fire, the 14th time the river has been set ablaze since 1969, Cleveland Scene reported. However, the river's quality has been steadily improving with focused environmental projects.