Heavy equipment is back at work in Cuyahoga Falls. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency resumed removing contaminated sediment from the Cuyahoga River behind the Gorge Dam at Gorge Metro Park on March 26, 2026, officials said. The work shut down over the winter when below-freezing temperatures made dredging unsafe, and crews spent the cold months testing ways to keep the contaminated material stable while the river was frozen. This spring push is the first big field effort of the season and a critical step toward a later dam demolition that managers say will bring back fishing and recreation in the gorge.
How the cleanup works
The project falls under the Great Lakes Legacy Act, and crews are aiming to remove more than 850,000 cubic yards of sediment from the roughly 1.5 mile dam pool. That muck is laced with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), oil and grease, and heavy metals such as cadmium and lead, according to the EPA.
Where the mud goes
After it is dredged from the river, sediment is processed at a Front Street staging area, then pumped through a temporary pipeline to a prepared placement site in the Chuckery Area of Cascade Valley Metro Park. There, the material will be stabilized and capped, and that placement site is closed to the public, Summit Metro Parks says. Over the winter, crews tested containment methods designed to hold the contaminated material in place during freezing conditions, as reported by Cleveland.com.
Who’s paying and who’s involved
The EPA is leading the cleanup alongside non federal partners that include the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, the City of Akron, FirstEnergy/Ohio Edison and the Ohio EPA. Funding comes from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and project partners, according to Ideastream Public Media.
Park closures and what visitors should expect
Portions of Gorge Metro Park and Cascade Valley Metro Park will remain closed while pipelines, dredges and other heavy equipment are operating, and nearby trails may be rerouted for public safety, Summit Metro Parks warns. The Chuckery placement area has been set up to receive and contain the dredged material before it is capped and re vegetated.
What comes after the mud
Once sediment removal wraps up, the Gorge Dam, built in 1911, will come down in a separate construction phase, a move project partners say will re establish fish passage and open up new recreation opportunities in the gorge, according to Signal Akron. Officials say sediment stabilization and careful staging are meant to limit exposure risks to people and wildlife as the river is restored.
Hoodline previously covered the project's launch in Commence Major Cleanup. We will keep tracking how this season's work unfolds.
