More than 20 miles of the Upper Cuyahoga River in Geauga County could join Ohio's scenic-river system under a preliminary proposal pitched to county commissioners this fall. The plan would stretch the existing designation north along the West Branch to Claridon-Troy Road, pushing the river's protected footprint toward roughly 45 total miles once its branches are included.
Officials from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and representatives from Chagrin River Watershed Partners presented the proposal, according to Cleveland.com. The extension would run 20.26 miles, starting at the Burton-Troy Township line and heading north to the confluence of the East and West branches, then following the East Branch to Ohio 608 and the West Branch to Claridon-Troy Road. For now, the outlet reports the proposal remains preliminary, with ODNR officials hoping to brief the county further before asking the agency's director to kick off a formal designation process.
How the Upper Cuyahoga Earned Its Scenic Status
The Upper Cuyahoga River has carried Ohio's state scenic-river designation since 1974. The existing stretch covers about 25 miles, running from the Burton-Troy Township line near Eldon Russell Park to the U.S. 14 crossing near Lake Rockwell in Portage County, per the same Cleveland.com account. If the new extension goes through, the river and its branches would total roughly 45 scenic-designated miles.
Chagrin River Watershed Partners studied whether the proposed stretches met Ohio's scenic-river criteria, examining free-flowing character, floodplains, development, forests and wetlands, road crossings, and water quality. Kim Brewster Shefelton, speaking for the watershed partners, said the study found that both the East and West branches met the designation criteria. The West Branch does have a dam at Butternut Road, but the study found it still meets the requirement that at least 75% of a proposed segment remain free-flowing. The East Branch meets Ohio's warmwater habitat standards, while the West Branch carries the state's exceptional warmwater habitat designation.
What Property Owners Would — And Wouldn't — See Change
Bob Gable, ODNR's scenic rivers administrator, said the designation would give the state no regulatory authority over private property. The proposal would not impose new restrictions on private property owners and would not create mandatory setbacks on privately owned riverfront land, according to the report. ODNR would also gain no authority to enter private property simply because of the river's designation status.
The designation would not require removal of fallen trees or other obstructions from the river, either — debris removal would still need permission from affected property owners and could require additional funding, the outlet notes. Where the proposal would have teeth is on the public side: publicly funded projects within 1,000 feet of riverbanks, outside municipal boundaries, would require additional review. That includes roads, bridges, and water or sewer projects, though the review is meant to minimize environmental impacts rather than block infrastructure work, and ODNR could work with local governments on alternatives like bridge designs that reduce river obstructions.
Commissioners Question Review, Have Not Been Asked to Act
Geauga County commissioners questioned whether that added review could create a regulatory hurdle for the county engineer's office, the report states. For now, commissioners have not been asked to take action on the proposal while ODNR continues briefing the county ahead of any formal designation request.
If the ODNR director eventually issues a notice of intent to proceed, the proposal would move into a 60-day public comment period, with notices published in newspapers and comments also accepted through an online portal, per the same Cleveland.com report. ODNR has said designations like this one can raise awareness of a river's ecological and recreational value, help coordinate conservation work, and connect communities with state expertise and potential funding.
Part of a Small but Growing List
The Upper Cuyahoga extension would add to a short list of protected Ohio waterways. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources describes its Scenic Rivers Program as supporting healthy riparian habitats statewide, and the agency counts 17 state-designated Wild, Scenic or Recreational rivers in Ohio. That tally has shifted in recent reporting — Ohio State University's Farm Office put the number at 15 designated watercourses and just over 830 river miles as of July 2024 — and the state's newest addition, Scioto Brush Creek, was designated in late 2025 as Ohio's 17th scenic river, according to a statement from the Office of the Ohio Governor.
Under Ohio law, a watercourse generally must remain free of human-built impoundments for at least 75% of its length to qualify as a scenic river, per the Ohio Revised Code. Before any designation becomes final, the ODNR director is required to publish notice and send written notice to the legislative authorities of affected counties, townships, municipal corporations and conservancy districts, according to ODNR's rules on creating scenic rivers. For Geauga County, that formal step hasn't yet begun — commissioners are still in the briefing phase, with no timeline given for when a notice of intent might be issued.
