"We are all connected by water's insistence to drain downhill," said Jim White, for the Cuyahoga-American Heritage River Community Partners. "The heavy rain event of June 22, 2006 was the third storm in four years to severely damage homes and businesses in the Cuyahoga River Watershed."
Watersheds are areas of land that drain to a single common point. The Cuyahoga River, 100 miles in length, drains over 812 square miles from parts of six counties. All the water that drains from the Cuyahoga watershed enters Lake Erie at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, White explained, while offering these lessons:
Heavy rainfall happens in this region
The fact that it does not happen very frequently does not negate the certainty of its occurrence. The recent storms were heavy, but were far less intense than the storms of 1969 and 1975. We must plan our land use to accommodate this simple fact of nature.
Under-managed regional sprawl
It has consequences for the watershed. Streams are complex systems that naturally manage the volume and energy of storm water. Stream systems are dynamic and change dramatically as a result of rapid development in a watershed.
Since 1970, the population of the Cuyahoga River Watershed has remained virtually unchanged. Yet, the amount of rooftops, driveways, roadways and parking lots has tripled as we move from urban areas and sprawl into the countryside.
All of this added development serves to increase both the volume and intensity of storm water that runs off to streams and rivers. As a result, the streams become more "flashy"—filling, rising and flooding more quickly. This pushes floodwaters higher and accelerates stream bank failure and property loss.
The increased energy and volume of water scour the landscape, adding more sediment to the stream system. Thousands of cubic yards of sediments end up in the Cuyahoga River ship channel in the Flats, raising costs to dredge them out.
Give streams 'elbow room'
It is essential to give streams elbow room within their natural flood plains. Land development in areas of high flood potential assures that losses will occur. Trenching streams or lining their banks only passes on the effects downstream with even greater intensity and impact.
Help from our national park
Our Cuyahoga Valley National Park and its 33,000 undeveloped acres along 20 miles of the river valley provide incalculable storage and dissipation of floodwaters. The park was significantly damaged for the third time in four years (in '06). Park superintendent John Debo estimated the total flood damage from these events at $7 million. Much of this damage was to the popular Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad track and the Ohio and Erie Canalway Towpath trail. Because the park protects open spaces, the natural flood plains and wetlands in the park efficiently captured and stored millions of gallons of floodwater, preventing even greater damage and loss downstream.
Inter-community planning and cooperation
is necessary in order to have effective stream stewardship. Streams do not respect political boundaries, so up and downstream communities must work together to support sustainable watershed-friendly practices. The personal losses our communities endured are very regrettable. We can do better in our community effort to live safely with our streams and rivers and to assure that they will be vital natural resources for our future.
From the Aug/Sept. 2006 Shore Lines, Ohio Coastal Resource Mangement Project newsletter
Resources
Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan (RAP)
