AOC stands for Area of Concern. It is defined as a location that has experienced significant environmental degradation. Under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the U.S. and Canada designated 43 AOCs around the Great Lakes basin as a way to focus restoration work in these areas. Of the 43 AOCs, 26 are in the U.S., 12 are in Canada, and 5 are shared by both countries.

Check out our brochure to learn more.

There are currently three Areas of Concern (AOCs) in Ohio: Black River, Cuyahoga River, and Maumee River. The Ashtabula River was delisted in 2021.

In the Cuyahoga River, the Advisory Committee, selected a list of Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs), where each one describes a human or ecological use of the ecosystem that has been lost or impaired as the result of environmental degradation. In collaboration with the Ohio EPA, a Remedial Action Plan (RAP) was developed as a road map with the recommended strategic projects and actions to restore each BUI, also known as Management Action Projects (MAPs).

Check out our BUIs and MAPs progress rack cards to learn more.

The Cuyahoga River AOC Advisory Committee adopted the Ohio EPA Delisting Guidance and Restoration Targets for Ohio Areas of Concern. Delisting can be achieved through the following steps:

(1) Implement Management Action Projects (MAPs) to improve conditions and address specific issues,

(2) Remove all Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) when the target for each issue is reached, and

(3) Delist the Cuyahoga River as an Area of Concern (AOC) when all MAPs are complete and all BUIs are restored.