Advancing the Regeneration of the Cuyahoga Valley

The report outlines a comprehensive approach to revitalizing the Cuyahoga Valley by treating environmental restoration as an economic driver. It proposes specific interventions for the 5.5-mile ship channel, including the implementation of low-impact development (LID) for stormwater, the creation of aquatic habitats like pocket wetlands and green bulkheads, and the establishment of an industrial symbiosis network called 'Waste = Revenue'. The document argues that moving away from traditional 'gray' infrastructure toward 'green' solutions will improve water quality, attract investment, and create new local business opportunities in restoration services.

• The Cuyahoga River ship channel suffers from severe water quality issues, specifically low dissolved oxygen levels that drop from 8 milligrams per liter above the channel to as low as 1.5 milligrams per liter at the river's mouth, which restricts aquatic life.
• Annual dredging of approximately 350,000 cubic yards of sediment costs the public roughly $3.7 to $4.9 million per year, including federal allocations and the high cost of confined disposal facilities.
• Existing stormwater management in Cleveland is limited because 90 percent of land within city limits is not governed by stormwater regulations, as current ordinances only cover municipal separate storm-sewer systems (MS4) which represent only 10 percent of the overall system.
• The 'Waste = Revenue' initiative promotes industrial symbiosis by creating a network where industries trade waste byproducts as useful resources, reducing disposal costs and creating new revenue streams.
• Brownfield remediation is essential for habitat restoration because removing bulkheads without prior cleanup could allow soil contaminants to seep into the river.
• The report advocates for a green building standard for Cleveland's Industrial Land Bank (ILB) to reduce operating costs and environmental impact, noting that LEED-certified buildings typically have a construction premium of only 1% to 2.1%.

APA

RMI (2006). Advancing the Regeneration of the Cuyahoga Valley. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_ER06-05_RegenCuyahoga.pdf

Chicago

RMI. Advancing the Regeneration of the Cuyahoga Valley. 2006. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_ER06-05_RegenCuyahoga.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Advancing the Regeneration of the Cuyahoga Valley |date=June 2006 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_ER06-05_RegenCuyahoga.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2006advancing, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Advancing the Regeneration of the Cuyahoga Valley}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2006}, month = jun, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_ER06-05_RegenCuyahoga.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }