This last weekend I went to hike in my favorite metro park in the Akron area. Located in Cuyahoga Falls, Akron's closest neighbor, the Gorge Metro park is home to a 429 ft. wide, 57 ft. wide dam impeding the flow of the Cuyahoga river.
The construction for the project ended in 1912, and was originally build to supply Akron's Trolley cars with electricity. The Hydroelectric befits of the dam ceased operation in 1958, but still remained open to provide cool water to a nearby coal power plant until the early 1990's. Since this time, it has served no purpose. In fact, it's existence has been detrimental.
By restricting the flow of water it prohibits the river from naturally cleaning itself. A number of other dams in the area have been taken down in recent years, but this project would be the biggest. It's existence is also preventing natural fish from completing their migratory patterns. Algae in the lake has more potential to thrive with the slow moving water which cuts down on oxygen supply potentially harming the lives of fish.
Talks of tearing the dam down have begun, and the search for funding has begin. The proposed cost to remove the dam is 70$ Million. $12.5 of this would go to tear the dam down, and the other $57.5 would go to clean out the 832,000 cubic feet of "sludge" that sits at the bottom of the reservoir.
Also part of this Metro Park is the Mary Campbell Cave, pictured above. This cave got it's name from a kidnapping of Mary Campbell during the French-Indian War between the years of 1756-1763 by the Lenape Indians. They kept her for 7 years before eventually returning her to her Eastern Pennsylvania homestead.
Further back, technically outside the park boundaries, is a small waterfall that is extremely fun to hike up. This tributary of the Cuyahoga River, through thousands of years of water cutting through the slate, has carved a remarkable sight.
This is my favorite Metro Park as it lies directly in the middle of a major metropolitan area, and still has the ability to insight natural wonder and awe. Thank you for reading this article on my most recent adventure!
Namaste
References:
http://www.ohio.com/news/local/no-one-knows-who-owns-the-gorge-dam-on-the-cuyahoga-river-between-akron-and-cuyahoga-falls-1.631839#
http://www.cleveland.com/akron/index.ssf/2017/03/officials_still_looking_to_tak.html
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Mary_Campbell_Cave