Latest News on the Cuyahoga

By David Hill

There have been a lot of news articles and developments surrounding the Cuyahoga River, so here is a rundown of what’s been happening in our backyard.

First off, the heavy rains in February and March allowed some of us to log many runs in early 2011. The flow was consistent for several weeks and I observed levels well above 4000 cfs. The heavy flows really changed the Lower Gorge as old features have disappeared and new spots have been created. The ledge in front of Matt’s Pin Spot has moved about 8 feet upstream and there was a brief time when the left side was open, but there is new wood present now. As always wood will come and go in the Gorge so keep alert if you paddle there until we can get it cleaned up.

In hindsight the intense soccer games in Canton (Thanks Dan) kept the skills sharp over the winter and allowed us to take advantage of what Mother Nature was serving up! We had some first-time individuals join us for some local fun. They were new to the Cuyahoga but not new to paddling. Below are 2 strong paddlers who were smiling all day long, except when Harry told them (kiddingly) that we were running the falls at 1500 cfs!

Dan and Tommy Piros getting ready for their run.

Thanks to Corey and Andy, the Wednesday Night Paddling tradition started last year by Jon J. continued in 2011. When we had acceptable levels, we were also able to get some others on their first run of the falls below the Ohio Edison dam. Even with the 20+ onlookers at the deck, everyone had great lines.

Enrique on his PFD of the falls at ~800 cfs.

In celebration of River Day 2011 we decided to mix things up a bit. The warm weather combined with 1200 cfs may have sparked the adventurous side of one paddler! Or maybe it was the comments from the mayor about “rafting” on the Cuyahoga. Either way, we now know that a shredder can definitely run the Lower Gorge section. Mr. Mayor we have your guide should you so desire to paddle the Cuyahoga.

Shawn shredding the RR side of the island!

While we have been actively paddling the Cuyahoga, there are 2 important issues brewing that will have a definite impact on this river. Some of you may have seen the articles discussing the potential removal of 2 dams in Cuyahoga Falls. If not here is a link to the recent article in the Akron Beacon Journal http://www.ohio.com/news/falls-studies-removing-two-dams-1.215637

The removal of these 2 dams will definitely open up some new (and potentially intense) whitewater in our backyard. I have seen some data from the sediment study which confirms that both dams are built on an existing ledge so there should be drops at each dam site after they have been removed. As shown in Figure 47 on page 84 of the sediment study http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi?acc_num=akron1279299769 there will also be some features between the Route 8 overpass and the LaFever dam. It is being stated that these dams may be down within 2 years, but we will have to wait and see. Now that summer time low flows are the norm, we will have to be content running the existing drops during the Wed Night sessions.

Corey at Rookie Drop

In addition to these 2 dams, the Ohio Edison dam has also been in the news http://www.ohio.com/news/epa-to-collect-samples-of-cuyahoga-sediments-1.199690. This article discusses how additional sediment sampling will be needed to assess the potential impact and better understand the level of clean up (and cost) that will be required for this project. Obviously due to the magnitude of this project, I may be retired before this monster is removed so I guess we just have to be happy running the lower drop until then.

Andy boofing into the sun!

The last item is the concept being proposed by Friends of the Crooked River to designate the entire Cuyahoga River as a “River Trail”. Mike L. had touched on this in his article awhile back and the support from both stakeholders and the public is positive. This topic is one that I am on the fence over, but the river trail idea will go forward regardless. Therefore my position on the Steering Committee is to educate the group about river safety and water quality.

While I believe that this river trail designation will provide an overall positive aspect to the Cuyahoga, it will also bring many paddlers who want to experience the river but may not have the skills for some sections/flows. There have already been a few mishaps by paddlers who got on at high flow and walked off without boats, but lived to talk about it! There have also been numerous accidents this year with non-paddlers http://kent.patch.com/articles/kent-cop-has-a-knack-for-river-rescues and several drownings in the river. The City of Kent is taking a proactive position by equipping their emergency service providers with gear and initiating public education outreach programs. This link summarizes what they are in the process of rolling out. http://www.kent360.com/5988-river-safety.html

As the paddlesports industry continues to expand and more people discover the joys of being on the water, expect to see some of our rivers get crowded. Businesses such as Crooked Rivers Adventures will likely expand to fill the needs of the public wanting to experience what paddling has to offer. They are in their second year and business is going well for them http://www.kent.edu/news/newsdetail.cfm?newsitem=C19E08F2-0EFA-2FB0-60BE1C7F5FF11D98. Dave Herpy has done a great job of offering safe trips and educating the public on water safety.

In closing I would like to see the club take a more active role with public outreach in regards to safe paddling on the Cuyahoga and other local waterways.

Well that’s about it for now. Be safe out there and have fun.