OHIO SEA GRANT AND STONE LABORATORY The Cuyahoga River Area of Concern Scott D. Hardy, PhD Extension Educator What is an Area of Concern? 614-247-6266 Phone reas of Concern, or AOCs, are places within the Great Lakes region where human 614-292-4364 Fax
[email protected] activities have caused serious damage to the environment, to the point that fish populations and other aquatic species are harmed and traditional uses of the land Aand water are negatively affected or impossible. Within the Great Lakes, 43 AOCs have been designated and federal and state agencies, under the supervision of local advisory committees, are working to clean up the polluted sites. Ohio Sea Grant Cuyahoga River AOC College Program Who determines if there 1314 Kinnear Rd. is an Area of Concern? Columbus, OH 43212 614-292-8949 Office A binational agreement between the United States 614-292-4364 Fax and Canada called the Great Lakes Water Quality ohioseagrant.osu.edu Agreement (GLWQA) determines the locations Ohio Sea Grant, based at of AOCs throughout the Great Lakes. According The Ohio State University, to the GLWQA, each of the AOCs must develop is one of 33 state programs in the National Sea Grant a Remedial Action Plan (RAP) that identifies all College Program of the of the environmental problems (called Beneficial National Oceanic and Use Impairments, or BUIs) and their causes. Local Atmospheric Administration environmental protection agencies must then (NOAA), Department of develop restoration strategies and implement them, Commerce. Ohio Sea Grant is supported by the Ohio monitor the effectiveness of the restoration projects Board of Regents, Ohio and ultimately show that the area has been restored.