Progress report on Gorge Dam removal set for Oct. 25: Here's what to know

Eric Marotta, Akron Beacon Journal
·2 min read
A view of the Gorge Dam at Gorge Metro Park from the Highbridge Trail on Tuesday. The dam is scheduled for removal to improve the water quality of the Cuyahoga River. [Phil Masturzo/Beacon Journal/Ohio.com]
A view of the Gorge Dam at Gorge Metro Park from the Highbridge Trail on Tuesday. The dam is scheduled for removal to improve the water quality of the Cuyahoga River. [Phil Masturzo/Beacon Journal/Ohio.com]

Plans for removal of the 420-foot-wide, 60-foot dam on the Cuyahoga River in Gorge Metro Park are well under way, and the public is invited to hear an update on progress at an Oct. 25 public meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Akron-Summit County Public Library Main Branch, 60 S. High Street, Akron.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for the status update, which will be presented by officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio EPA, and the city of Akron, among others.

Parking is available at the garage at 40 S. High Street or the surface lot at 71 S. High Street. The meeting will also be live-streamed and available for later viewing on the Summit Metro Parks YouTube page.

More: State contributing $25 million to Gorge Dam removal, which has officially started

Why is Gorge Metro Park Dam being removed?

The dam, built in 1911 for electric power generation, is one of the largest unresolved impediments to restoring the water quality of the Cuyahoga River. Officials say its removal will improve river ecology, create recreational opportunities and drive economic benefits within the local community.

Removal has been tentatively planned to take place by 2026, and is expected to reveal the buried waterfall for which Cuyahoga Falls is named.

But before the dam can be taken out, an estimated 1 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment must be dredged. The sediment layer is 10- to 20-foot deep at the bottom of the 1.4-mile-long dam pool and contains lead, cadmium, pesticides and hydrocarbons from incomplete combustion of oil and coal.

More: Site prep for Gorge Dam sediment disposal announced

The sediment is to be removed with bucket dredges, then piped to its final resting place to Akron city property at the Chuckery Area of the Cascade Valley South Metro Park about 1 mile west of the dam site, east of the Cuyahoga River off Peck Road. Sediment removal is expected to take about 16 months.

For more information on the project, see the Summit Metro Parks website at www.summitmetroparks.org/free-the-falls.aspx.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Report on removal of Gorge Dam on the Cuyahoga River set for Oct. 25