Maumee Bay Cleanup Reaches Halfway Point as EPA Removes Beach Impairment

The Maumee Area of Concern has reached a major environmental milestone, with federal officials approving the removal of another long-standing impairment tied to water quality and recreational use.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has officially approved removing the “Beach Closings,” or Recreational Use, impairment from the Maumee Area of Concern following years of improvements in the lower Maumee River and streams that drain into Maumee Bay State Park.

The designation is the fifth of 10 Beneficial Use Impairments originally identified in the Maumee Area of Concern to be removed, putting the decades-long cleanup effort at the halfway point.

Beneficial Use Impairments are used to identify serious environmental problems within designated Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Once cleanup projects are completed and monitoring shows sufficient environmental improvement, individual impairments can be removed. The Maumee AOC covers roughly 787 square miles in northwest Ohio and is one of the largest Areas of Concern in the United States.

Officials say water-quality monitoring over the past five years showed improving beach advisory trends.

Researchers also determined some elevated bacteria levels were linked to waterfowl in certain locations, including the inland beach at Maumee Bay State Park. A project was completed there to discourage large numbers of waterfowl from gathering in problem areas.

Additional work funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative included projects by the City of Oregon to widen drainage ditches and restore streams. Those improvements are designed to capture sediment, nutrients and bacteria before they reach Maumee Bay.

“The Commission appreciates the efforts of all of the parties engaged in this work that will provide healthier, more enjoyable beaches and rivers for the community,” Ohio Lake Erie Commission Executive Director Joy Mulinex said.

The four Maumee impairments previously removed involved added costs to agriculture or industry, restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption, degradation of aesthetics and restrictions on dredging activities.

Five impairments remain, including concerns involving fish and wildlife populations, fish tumors or deformities, bottom-dwelling organisms, excessive nutrients or algae and loss of fish and wildlife habitat.

The Ohio Lake Erie Commission, Ohio EPA and local partners will continue working toward removal of those remaining impairments. Once all of them are removed, the Maumee Area of Concern can begin the formal process of being removed from the federal Great Lakes Areas of Concern list.