EPA and Ohio Partners Put $37.6 Million Toward Maumee River Cleanup and Habitat

$37.6 Million for Three Restoration Projects in the Maumee Area of Concern

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state and local partners have announced more than $37.6 million in funding for three restoration and remediation projects in the Maumee Area of Concern in northwest Ohio. The money will be split among the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, the City of Toledo and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

The largest share — more than $34 million — goes to the port authority to dredge roughly 121,000 cubic yards of sediment contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other pollutants from a one-mile stretch of the Lower Maumee River. The EPA is contributing $32.34 million from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, while Ohio EPA is providing $1.75 million to cover disposal in the Toledo Harbor confined disposal facility.

A further $2.6 million will fund City of Toledo work in the Ottawa River, including floating wetlands, rock shoals, fish shelves and woody habitat intended to improve fish habitat and expand recreational access. Ohio EPA will receive $1 million to evaluate cleanup options and design a project addressing polychlorinated biphenyl contamination about eight river miles upstream from Lake Erie.

The Maumee Area of Concern, designated in 1987 by U.S. and Canadian governments, covers 787 square miles in northwest Ohio and includes 1,900 miles of streams and 45 miles of Lake Erie shoreline. Decades of industrial pollution and habitat loss led to 10 beneficial use impairments — official restrictions on uses such as swimming, eating fish and beach access. EPA and partners say they have completed 42 of 53 planned management actions, removed more than 300,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment and restored more than 3,500 acres of habitat. Four impairments have been removed so far, and the area can be formally delisted once all are cleared.

Where the New Money Lands in the Maumee and Ottawa Rivers

The Port Authority's Dredging Project Is the Financial Core

The Lower Maumee River work carries most of the announced dollars and the clearest near-term environmental outcome. Removing 121,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from a one-mile stretch reduces the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other contaminants in the riverbed. The practical effect is a cleaner channel and reduced exposure for people and aquatic life, but the benefit only materializes if the dredged material stays sealed in the Toledo Harbor confined disposal facility. The Ohio EPA's relatively small $1.75 million disposal contribution is a quiet but essential piece: even well-funded dredging can stall without an approved disposal path.

The Ottawa River Habitat Work Connects Cleanup to Daily Life

The $2.6 million City of Toledo project is less about removing pollution and more about rebuilding what the pollution took away. Floating wetlands, rock shoals, fish shelves and woody habitat are designed to support fish and create calmer water. Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz frames the result in recreational and educational terms: calm-water kayaking, a better fishery and hands-on learning for Ottawa River Elementary students. That mix matters because it gives residents a visible return on restoration dollars and can help sustain political support for long, multi-year cleanups.

Delisting Is the Endpoint, but the PCB Work Shows Distance Left

The announcement does not delist the Maumee Area of Concern. The $1 million to Ohio EPA is for evaluating and designing a PCB cleanup, not for construction. That signals the remaining work is real but still in a planning phase. The larger narrative is one of progress: 42 of 53 management actions are complete and four beneficial use impairments have been removed. Each newly completed project removes a concrete barrier to lifting the remaining restrictions and eventually ending the area's 1987 designation.

Next Steps for Toledo, Ohio EPA and the Port Authority

• Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority: Use the $32.34 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative award and the $1.75 million Ohio EPA disposal contribution to move the Lower Maumee dredging project into contracting and scheduling, with the one-mile reach and 121,000 cubic yards as the defined scope.
• City of Toledo: Sequence the $2.6 million Ottawa River project around the floating wetlands, rock shoals, fish shelves and woody habitat, and coordinate with Ottawa River Elementary to deliver the educational access Mayor Kapszukiewicz outlined.
• Ohio EPA: Convert the $1 million award into a site-specific PCB cleanup design for the Ottawa River location about eight river miles upstream from Lake Erie, so the next construction contract can be defined.
• Residents and businesses along the Maumee: Restrictions tied to the remaining beneficial use impairments will remain in place until the remaining 11 of 53 management actions are complete and the area is delisted.