United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
TMDL Implementation Restores Flow, Improves Water
Quality, and Preserves a Community's
TffiDLs Sense of History
Total Maximum Daily Loads
TMDL at a Glance
Middle Cuyahoga River TMDL
(approved January 2001)
www. epu. state, oh. us/dsw/tmdl/CuyuhoguKiverMiddleTMDL.uspx
Factors causing impairment:
Warmwater aquatic life use impaired by low dissolved
oxygen resulting from three key factors: (1) excess
nutrients; (2) changes in the natural flow pattern of
the river; and (3) poor riverine habitat
Sources contributing to impairment:
Municipal wastewater treatment plant discharges,
dams, flow alteration
The total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for the Middle Cuyahoga River watershed
revealed that residents in the watershed had a tough choice to make if they wanted to
improve local water quality conditions. They could either (1) invest in expensive upgrades
to the local wastewater treatment plants to reduce the pollutants affecting dissolved
oxygen levels, even though the investment might not produce sufficient water quality
improvements to meet water quality standards, or (2) spend time and effort in crafting a
voluntary approach involving modification and removal of local dams that would
improve the river's natural flow, restore riverine habitat, allow for fish passage,
and increase dissolved oxygen (DO) levels. Wanting to avoid costly upgrades that
might not produce results, stakeholders in the Middle Cuyahoga River watershed
chose to cooperatively explore the innovative voluntary option in a manner that
could restore water quality, preserve local history, and create a significant water
feature. The result was the modification of the Kent Dam and the removal of the
Munroe Falls dam Implementation of this voluntary option produced immediate,
measurable water quality benefits. In addition to achieving environmental goals,
the TMDL implementation approach allowed stakeholders to leverage financial
resources and avoid costly wastewater treatment plant upgrades and associated
operation and maintenance costs. Efforts in the Middle Cuyahoga River watershed
also established important partnerships that would benefit future TMDL efforts in
other parts of the Cuyahoga River watershed.
Restoration options:
Reduce pollutant loadings from local wastewater
treatment plants or increase flows from a surface
impoundment and modify dams to increase natural
river characteristics
Stakeholder involvement:
Middle Cuyahoga Watershed Stakeholder Forum;
Kent Dam Advisory Council; local nongovernmental
organizations; local cities and counties; state and
federal agencies
Status of waternody:
Full attainment of Warmwater Habitat designated use
near the Kent Dam and anticipated full attainment
near the Munroe Falls Dam
Benefits to stakeholders:
Water quality, economic, historic preservation,
recreation, funding, partnerships
How are TMDLs at work in the Middle Cuyahoga River watershed?
The TMDLs developed by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
for the Middle Cuyahoga River watershed presented two possible options for
decreasing excessive nutrients and improving dissolved oxygen levels to restore
the biological integrity of the watershed. The TMDL report demonstrated that
while local wastewater treatment plants in the watershed are contributors to
water quality problems, solely focusing on more stringent permit limits for these
point sources would not result in attainment of water quality standards due to the
conditions in the watershed. Through the technical analysis, stakeholders were
provided with evidence to support the need for voluntary watershed efforts.
Upon approval of the TMDL for the Middle Cuyahoga River in 2000, local
stakeholders initiated efforts to evaluate the recommendations put forth in the
TMDL report and develop a locally-led implementation strategy. Based on the costs
associated with wastewater treatment plant upgrades and the uncertainty over
What is a total maximum daily load (TMDL)?
It is a study or analysis that calculates the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet
water quality standards. The TMDL establishes a pollutant budget and then allocates portions of the overall budget to
the pollutant's sources. For more information on TMDLs, visit EPA's website at www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl.
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whether the investment would produce environmental
results, stakeholders opted to pursue the recommended
dam modification activities under the Level 1 scenario in
the TMDL.
By choosing to implement the TMDL through the
voluntary dam modification and removal projects, local
stakeholders were eligible for grant funding that would
not have been available to finance wastewater treatment
plant upgrades under the second alternative.
What is the current status of the Middle
Cuyahoga River watershed
as a result of the TMDL process?
The Middle Cuyahoga River watershed is not yet in full
attainment of water quality standards; however, the
voluntary dam modification and removal projects have
resulted in the anticipated chemical and physical water
quality improvements, as indicated by water samples
and computer modeling. DO levels in the river are now
consistent with the state's water quality standards for this
parameter. Also, the condition of the warmwater aquatic
live community in the stream also significantly improved.
Prior to the project, Ohio EPA assessed the diversity of the
macroinvertebrate community (ICI), the fish community
using the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) and Modified
Index of Well Being (Mlwb), and the physical habitat
conditions using the Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index
(QHEI). Scores from the initial assessment using the ICI,
IBI, Mlwb, and the QHEI indicated that the majority of
the Middle Cuyahoga River did not meet the warmwater
habitat designated use prior to implementing the TMDL.
The Ohio EPA assessed the Middle Cuyahoga River
from 2005 to 2007. Information from this assessment
indicated a 56 percent increase in IBI scores and a
57 percent increase in QHEI scores in Kent. The river
in the former Munroe Falls dam pool meets the QHEI
and ICI criteria, but still has a non attainment status for
the fish indices. However, all the elements required for
a full recovery of aquatic communities to warmwater
habitat standard were present, and the river is expected
to reach full attainment within the next few years. A full
report of the demonstrated improvement of the aquatic
community is available at: www.epa.ohio.gov/dsw/tmdl/
CuyahogaRiverMiddleTMDL.aspx
How did local stakeholders benefit from the
TMDL process?
The Middle Cuyahoga River Restoration Project produced
the anticipated water quality improvements, has restored
portions of the river to full attainment, and is on its
way to meeting its warmwater habitat designated use in
all segments. In addition to water quality benefits, this
successful TMDL implementation project has provided
the cities of Kent and Munroe Falls, as well as other local
stakeholders, with a wide range of additional benefits,
including:
O Leveraged financial resources. Local stakeholders,
specifically communities with wastewater treatment
plants that would have required costly upgrades, were
able to avoid significant investments that were not
guaranteed to result in attainment of water quality
standards. For example, the City of Kent alone avoided
spending nearly $5 million in wastewater treatment
plant upgrades. Communities were able to work
together, along with state and federal agencies, to obtain
funding for dam modification and removal projects. The
Kent Dam Water Quality Improvement Project received
more than $5 million in funding from state and local
partners. Ohio EPAs Clean Water Act State Revolving
Loan Fund's Water Resource Restoration Sponsor
Program (WRRSP) provided $3.94 million. The Clean
Ohio Fund contributed $636,000. Ohio EPA provided
$500,000 through a Clean Water Act (CWA) section
319 grant and ODNR provided $6,400 in additional
grant funds. For the Munroe Falls dam project, Summit
County obtained more than $1.4 million from Ohio
EPAs Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund's WRRSP.
In addition, this project obtained approximately $1
million in a CWA section 319 nonpoint source grant
and $500,000 from supplemental environmental project
enforcement monies.
O Historical preservation. The project preserved and
restored the arched dam structure dating back to the
1830s, but provided for a free-flowing river channel
through removal of an old canal lock east of the dam.
O Increased aesthetics and educational
opportunities. Developing Heritage Park in the
drained dam pool to satisfy National Historic
Preservation Act requirements alsoaddressed concerns
related to aesthetics. Interpretative signage in Heritage
Park educates visitors about the history of the area and
associated environmental benefits of the project.
O Effective local partnerships. The Middle Cuyahoga
River Watershed Stakeholder Forum and the Kent
Dam Advisory Council set the stage for successful
partnerships necessary to address other water quality
problems throughout the Cuyahoga River watershed.
Some of the participants in the Middle Cuyahoga
River TMDL process also participated in the TMDL
processes for the Upper and Lower Cuyahoga River.
For more information on the Middle Cuyahoga River TMDL, contact
Steve Tuckerman, Ohio EPA, Northeast District Office, steve.tuckerman@epa.state.oh.us, (330) 963-1105
For more information on the Ohio TMDL Program, visit www.epa.ohio.gov/dsw/tmdl/index.aspx
&ER&
December 2009
EPA841-F-09-002J
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