Press Release

CLEVELAND COUNCIL PASSES RESOLUTION CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF PROGRESS ON THE CUYAHOGA RIVER, CALLS FOR STATE AND FEDERAL SPENDING TO ENSURE SAFE, HEALTHY, AND AFFORDABLE WATER

Cassie Kelly, June 4, 2019

Cleveland, OH—Last night, Cleveland City Council unanimously passed a resolution celebrating 50 years of continued progress on the Cuyahoga River. The resolution also highlighted the importance of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding, the Clean Water Act, and the dangers of harmful algal blooms. The Ohio Environmental Council is pleased to have worked with multiple regional partners, members of Cleveland City Council and the Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s Office of Sustainability to see this resolution through.

The following statement can be attributed fully or in part to Max Schaefer, OEC Northeast Regional Director:

We are pleased to join the City of Cleveland and all of Northeast Ohio in celebrating 50 years of progress on the Cuyahoga River this year. We want to express our gratitude to the city of Cleveland for highlighting the needed funding for water infrastructure, waste water plants, and drinking water plants.

We also applaud the leadership Cleveland City Council is taking to address the very real threat of harmful algal blooms to the communities along Lake Erie. The City of Cleveland understands this is not only a western basin threat, but people all along our Great Lake are at risk when we do not properly address nutrient loading. The dangers of harmful algal blooms to our health are substantial and must be addressed with more expediency by our state government. The OEC will continue to work with the Lake Erie Water Quality subcommittee created by Cleveland City Council to ensure a healthy Lake Erie.

You can read the full resolution here.