A coalition of politicians, industry officials, and environmentalists gathered today to call for a long-term dredging plan to keep the river clear for shipping traffic while keeping contaminants out of Lake Erie. ideastream’s Brian Bull reports.
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A federal judge last week ordered the Army Corp of Engineers to begin dredging a six-mile stretch of the Cuyahoga River while he continues to review a lawsuit filed by the state of Ohio. The suit disputes the Corps’ attempt to make the state pay dredging and containment costs, as well as its plan to dump contaminated sediment into Lake Erie…which critics say could harm the water and fish population.
Chris Ronanye is chair of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority board. He says there’s a better plan that the Port has designed, which is both environmentally safer and resourceful.
“When the material gets into the navigation channel, we dredge it...but we dewater it, then we use it again in productive market reuse," says Ronayne. "Construction activity, for roadway making…to do the infill on former Brownfield sites.”
Dredging the six-mile stretch of river that leads from Cleveland Harbor to the ArcelorMittal steel plant is crucial to maintaining the regional economy, according to Eric Hauge. He’s General Manager for ArcelorMittal’s Cleveland plant.
“14 million tons of materials are shipped along this river to various industries and businesses. And that includes over 4 million tons of product that will come to ArcelorMittal this year.”
Meanwhile, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown says he and other senators from the Great Lakes region have worked to get funding to help resolve dredging and other issues.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declined comment for this story.