Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro's Office announced Tuesday that the county council recently passed legislation to support the Ohio EPA with a $250,000 grant for the removal of the Gorge Dam.
The funds will help aid the Ohio EPA in removing sediment and restoring habitats at the dam. Crews have been working for months on removing roughly one-million cubic yards of sediment in the pool behind the dam. That sediment will be relocated to the Chuckery Area of Cascade Valley Metro Park.
“Summit County is proud to support the removal of the Gorge Dam. This long-awaited project will provide significant environmental, social and economic benefits to Akron, Cuyahoga Falls and our entire county. Removal of the dam is a massive undertaking that requires considerable collaboration between all levels of government and community. I commend each of the partners who have each invested substantial time and money to finally free the falls,” Shapiro said.
Watch a previous report on what will happen when the Gorge Dam is removed:
The Gorge Dam was originally built in 1913 as a source of hydropower for generating electricity but hasn't generated power since 1958, according to Gov. Mike DeWine's Office. Its removal is estimated to cost around $130 million and is a multi-step process.
The first step in removing the concrete dam is the continued removal of sediment from the reservoir. The dam itself doesn’t serve any flood control purposes, and its removal will have no impact on flooding up or downstream. Since the dam doesn't really serve a purpose anymore for generating electricity, it turns the river water nearby into a stagnant pool.
That pool, which is a mile-and-a-half long, created a blockage on the Cuyahoga River that impedes the movement of fish and other aquatic wildlife.
Last year, DeWine and the Ohio EPA announced the state would contribute $25 million towards the project. Removal of the dam is expected to take about five years.
To read more about the dam's removal, CLICK HERE. You can also watch a video in the player below from the Summit County Metro Parks about the dam.
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