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Reps. Sykes, Brown Celebrate Upcoming Removal of Gorge Dam
U.S. Representatives and Great Lakes Task Force members Shontel Brown (D-OH) and Emilia Sykes (D-OH) joined EPA region five administrator Anne Vogel, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, and Akron Mayor Shammas Malik at the Gorge River Dam on Thursday to announce the major cleanup project that will culminate in the dam's removal from the Cuyahoga River. This is one of the largest sediment remediation efforts of its kind under the Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA) and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). The project is a critical step in remediating the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern and will provide short- and long-term improvements in tourism and water quality.
“As a member of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee and a supporter of the bipartisan Great Lakes Restoration Initiative of 2025, I’m proud to celebrate the beginning of the removal of the Gorge Dam,” Rep. Sykes said.
The dam, out of commission for electricity generation for over half a century, has blocked the free flow of the Cuyahoga River since 1911. The removal will begin with a two-year dredging phase. 850,000 cubic yards of sediment, containing heavy metals, PAHs, PCBs, and other contaminants, will have to be removed.
Rep. Brown added that “the Gorge Dam Cleanup Project is a win for clean water and a win for Northeast Ohio. Cleaning up the Cuyahoga River in Summit County also benefits us in Cuyahoga County - because the river connects our communities.”
“This is more good news for Northeast Ohio made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the work of state and local officials,” she said. Vogel said the project would cost $130 million in state and federal funds. Much of the federal share comes from the GLRI and its precursor, the GLLA.
Federal funding also comes from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, as Rep. Brown highlighted. "When I cast my vote for that law four years ago, I did so with moments like this in mind because projects like this are real, they're local, they're life-changing, and long, long, long overdue. This cleanup of the Gorge Dam and surrounding sediment is not only a massive undertaking, it is truly transformational."
Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $132 million sediment removal contract to Sevenson Environmental. "This investment is another example of what happens when federal government can — and sometimes it can — work on behalf of the people," Rep. Sykes said.
After work is complete, the Cuyahoga River will finally freely flow. “After decades of local advocacy, a nearly $10 million federal investment is making soil remediation and dam removal possible,” Rep. Sykes concluded. “I look forward to seeing the recreation and enjoyment that will come from a free-flowing Cuyahoga River, a sight not seen for 100 years.”
To learn more about the remediation of the Cuyahoga AOC, read NEMWI’s AOC Spotlight from last year here.
Reported by NEMWI Intern Jayden Lawrence, North Central College
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