Resources
Northeast Ohio
Regional Sewer District
The NEORSD is responsible for wastewater treatment
facilities and interceptor sewers in the greater
Cleveland Metropolitan Area. Refer to the Educational Resources and the Understanding Watersheds sections. See also the map of the Big
Creek Interceptor and Southwest Interceptor
that convey flows to the Wastewater Treatment Center. Follow information about the future Big Creek Storage Tunnel (BCT) that that will control combined sewer overflows.
Cuyahoga
River Area of Concern (AOC)
The Cuyahoga River is one of the Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOC) – waters in the U.S. and Canada that have experienced environmental degradation, fail to meet the objectives of the U.S.- Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA,) and are impaired in their ability to support aquatic life or beneficial uses. OhioEPA and the Ohio Lake Erie Commission are the state agencies in charge of delisting Ohio's four AOCs (Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Black, and Maumee.) The Cuyahoga AOC Advisory Committee serves as our local stakeholder committee, involved with implementing a Remedial Action Plan (RAP) to identify the Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) and their causes, develop criteria for restoration, implement remedial measures, monitor the effectiveness of such measures, and confirm that restoration is achieved.
NOACA (Northeast
Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency)
This metropolitan planning body has responsibilities
in regional water quality and watershed planning
as well as air quality and transportation. Its
governing board includes mayors, county commissioners
and other officials; it serves the counties of
Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina.
Cuyahoga
County Planning Commission
The Commission serves as a planning and decision-making
resource for the County, municipalities, regional
agencies and not-for-profit corporations in such
areas as land use, zoning, transportation, conservation
and development. It is a good source for demographic
and economic data on the region. It also promotes
administrative and regulatory measures. Check out the Environmental Projects.
Cuyahoga
Soil and Water Conservation District
Assists municipalities with conservation of land
and water in developed environments through stewardship
initiatives, education programs, and technical
assistance with issues such as pollution, erosion,
sediment control. Cuyahoga SWCD serves as the Facilitating Organization for the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern Advisory Committee listed above. For community members CSWCD is a terrific resource for rain barrel and garden, pollinators, native plants, soil quality and a whole lot more. BCC partners with CSWCD and others in the annual Big Creek Watershed Cleanup.
Cuyahoga County Board of Health
One service area is Environmental Health.
Cleveland Metroparks
Five miles of the main stem of Big Creek are managed by the Cleveland Metroparks. The lower Big Creek also runs through (and under) the Metroparks Zoo.
Canalway Partners
Began in 1985 as the North Cuyahoga Valley Corridor,
Inc. This successful, ambitious group is involved
with the historic preservation and recreational
opportunities in the corridor of the historic Ohio
Canal from Cleveland through Zoar to Dover/New
Philadelphia. They led the development of the Towpath Trail in Cuyahoga County, initiated the development of Canal Basin Park and programmed acclaimed Cleveland events including The Towpath Marathon, Cycle Canalway and RiverSweep. BCC spearheads the annual RiverSweep area in the lower Big Creek/Treadway ravine area at Harvard Ave. and Jennings Rd.
Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
Launched in December, 2004, the GLRC is a partnership of stakeholders
from federal, state, and local governments, tribes and other key players
to develop a strategic plan that builds upon regional efforts for the
restoration, protection and sustainable use of the Great Lakes. Public
comment on the plan is solicited.
West Creek Conservancy
Neighboring watershed and model organization for FoBC/BCC. West Creek is
another tributary of the Cuyahoga running through the Cleveland, Ohio
suburbs of Parma, Seven Hills, Brooklyn Heights, and Independence. Originally a watershed group, WCC is now a regional land conservancy. With their initial project they successfully created the
West Creek Preserve and Greenway, a 500-acre natural park and regional
recreational trail network, now a Cleveland Metroparks reservation. BCC works closely with and has an Alliance Agreement with WCC.
Rocky River Watershed Council
Friends of Euclid
Creek
Tinkers Creek Watershed
Partners
Friends of the Crooked River
Ohio Watershed
Network
Ohio Environmental Council
OHIO EPA Northeast District Office
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society
- Weeders
in the Wild
Lake Erie Commission
Waterkeeper
Alliance
Ohio Wetlands Association
Green Ribbon Coalition
American
Rivers
Non-profit conservation organization with 40,000
members dedicated to protecting and restoring rivers
nationwide.
Center for Watershed
Protection
Provides local governments, activists, and watershed
organizations around the country with technical
tools for protecting streams, lakes and rivers.
"The Center has developed and disseminated
a multi-disciplinary strategy to watershed protection
that encompasses watershed planning, watershed
restoration, stormwater management, watershed research,
better site design, education and outreach, and
watershed training." Lots of information on
this site. Think you know a lot about watersheds?
Take the quiz.
River
Network
Promotes understanding, protection and restoration
of rivers and their watersheds. This national organization
offers consulting, publications, trainings and
small grants to help raise money, build organizations,
and monitor and protect rivers and watersheds.
Includes a directory
of state, regional, and local groups working on
issues related to watershed protection and the
health of streams, rivers, and estuaries. Also
includes an extensive resource
library.
U.S. EPA Water Topics
General information on water science and water
quality. Contains a section on Watersheds
with the Watershed
Academy and loads
more information. Also home to the WATERS
database (Watershed Assessment, Tracking &
Environmental Results) - designed to help various
programs share information. Provides water-quality
data, searchable by geographic region. Big Creek is in US EPA Region
5.
