Easily the most famously known river in Ohio, the Cuyahoga AOC started its work in 1987 aiming to remove 9 BUI’s. In 2017 the first BUI was removed. Two years later in 2019, BUI 11 Degradation of Aesthetics was removed.
The focus for 2020 was BUI 3 Degradation of Fish and Wildlife Populations and BUI 14 Degradation of Fish and Wildlife Habitat. In recent years, the Cuyahoga AOC has been removing dams with surgical precision. Dams along the Cuyahoga River create pools of stagnant, low oxygen water that have accumulated sediment. Removing the dams improves the sediment and water quality, which in turn, helps wildlife and fish populations. Their last project successfully removed the Brecksville Canal Diversion Dam removal. Removal of this Dam will aid fish migration, has increased paddling recreation, and reduced sediment loads.
In early June, River Otters were spotted in the river. This return of wildlife is a hopeful glimpse of a river regaining its health.