Public Meeting – Recreational Beach Use (BUI 10 Removal)

Many areas of concern have been identified across the Great Lakes. In Northeast Ohio, the Cuyahoga River flows into Lake Erie’s central basin at the city of Cleveland. For more than 100 years, the lower Cuyahoga River accepted discharges from many treatment systems (municipal and industrial facilities), sewer overflows, and storm water runoff. The river had become so severely degraded with loose debris, oil, and municipal and industrial wastes that it ignited several times and was officially listed as an Area of Concern (AOC) in 1987.

Subsequently, the local Advisory Committee selected 10 out of the 14 Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) from U.S. EPA’s list — each one describes a human or ecological use of the ecosystem that has been lost or impaired as the result of environmental degradation — along with their causes to develop strategic projects and actions to restore them. With every BUI that is removed, the Cuyahoga River is one step closer to being delisted as an AOC.

On July 17th, come learn more about the removal of the Beach Closings (Recreational Use) Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) from the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern (AOC). This public meeting will provide information and documentation of recreational contact advisories, E. coli concentrations and sources, bacterial reduction strategies, and measures the results of the assessments against applicable State of Ohio Area of Concern BUI restoration targets.

To learn more, click here.