Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge has sent a letter to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), asking it to reject a proposal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to discharge dredged material into the open waters of Lake Erie.
The Ohio EPA has responsibility under the Federal Clean Water Act to certify whether proposed discharge of dredged material complies with State of Ohio water quality standards.
In the letter dated March 13th, Congresswoman Fudge expressed serious concern about the studies USACE relied on to conclude sediment from the Cuyahoga River and Cleveland Harbor no longer contains historically high levels of toxins.
The Army Corps has proposed discharging dredged material within one mile of the drinking water intake for the Cleveland Municipal Water Supply.
“ While dredging and other required maintenance of our lake help stimulate economic growth, there must be concentrated and coordinated efforts to make dredging as harmless as possible. The Great Lakes are a source of drinking water for 26 million people. We cannot afford to take action that jeopardizes the health and wellbeing of our constituents ,” Congresswoman Fudge stated.
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Press Release, March 17, 2014