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DESCRIPTION The river is a recent geological formation, formed by the advance and retreat of the last ice sheet during the last Ice Age . When the final retreat occurred 10-12,000 years ago, the glacier scooped the land and caused changes in the drainage pattern near Akron which resulted in the south-flowing Cuyahoga precursor to turn north and create the U-shape we see today. As the Cuyahoga river found its way to Lake Erie it had to flow around Glacial Debris left by the receding ice sheet. The meanderings caused the river to take a 100-mile (160 km) journey from its headwaters to its mouth, which was only 30 miles (50 km) when travelled directly. The lower Cuyahoga River has been subject to numerous changes. Originally, the river met Lake Erie approximately 4,000 feet west of its existing mouth, forming a shallow marsh. The new cut west of present-day Downtown Cleveland allowed traffic to flow freely between the river and the lake. Furthermore, while the natural depth of the Cuyahoga River is 3 to 6 feet, for the last 5 miles of its course from the Mittal Steel Cleveland Works to its mouth, it is dredged to a depth of 27 feet by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to accommodate ship traffic that serves the industries located on the River. The Cuyahoga has also been straightened and widened along the Federal Navigation Channel to facilitate maritime operations. ]] HISTORY Fires plagued the Cuyahoga beginning in s, remain. For this reason, the Environmental Protection Agency classified portions of the Cuyahoga River Watershed as one of 43 Great Lakes Areas Of Concern . DAMS ON THE CUYAHOGA The largest dam is the Ohio Edison Dam in Akron, near Cuyahoga Falls. This 57-foot dam has for over 90 years flooded the Falls over which the City of Cuyahoga Falls was named; more to the point of water quality, it has created a large stagnant pool with low and in Munroe Falls , though smaller, have had a greater impact on water quality due to the lower Gradient in their respective reaches. For this reason, the Ohio EPA has required the communities to mitigate the effects of the dams. The Kent Dam was bypassed in 2004 the Munroe Falls Dam was modified in the Summer of 2005[http://www.co.summit.oh.us/executive/mfd/mfdhome.htm . During the modification of the Munroe Falls Dam in Summer, 2005, a natural waterfall was uncovered Given this new knowledge about the riverbed, some interested parties, including Summit County, campaigned for complete removal of the dam. The revised plan, initially denied on September 20 , 2005, was approved by the Munroe Falls City Council on September 27 , 2005. The dam, constructed of sandstone blocks, will be removed, replacing an 11.5-foot dam with a natural ledge which is 4.5 feet high at its maximum drop.[http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/12710436.htm [http://www.journal-news.com/local/content/gen/ap/OH_Cuyahoga_River_Dams.html] The Ohio Edison Dam was built in upstream of the dam is expected to contain hazardous chemicals, possibly including Heavy Metals and PCBs . The Ohio EPA estimates that removal of the dam would cost $5-10 million; removing the contaminated sediments, $60 million. {Link without Title} The dam is licensed through 2041. Advanced Hydro Solutions , a company based in , the U.S. Department Of The Interior , and the Ohio EPA; At public meetings held on July 27 , 2005 , the proposed project, which would only generate enough electricity to power 2000 homes, encountered substantial opposition. The final decision from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the project is due in July, 2009.[http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/12243200.htm] SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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