Northeast Ohio monitoring system shows Cuyahoga River quality improves

By on November 9, 2012
The Cuyahoga River and downtown Cleveland (Credit: DandZ, via Wikimedia Commons)


A regularly updated Northeast Ohio water quality monitoring system, which measures for turbidity and bacterial content of aquatic recreation areas, found Cuyahoga River conditions improved in 2012, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Water testers rated the Cuyahoga River’s water quality as poor in less than half of 2012 sampling days. In 2010 and 2011, monitoring characterized river water as poor two-thirds of the time. A classification of poor means citizens should avoid contact with the river due to high bacterial content.

Many area sewage treatment plants are designed to drain rain-induced overflow into the river. Officials also blame aging septic tanks for bacteria in the water.

Sampling occurs at two locations on the Cuyahoga River Valley National Park. Scientists input samples into a predictive model and post predictions on the same day they’re taken. Scientists post full test results the next day.

Water quality officials created a web database at www.OhioNowcast.info to post water quality predictions and results of the Cuyahoga River, Huntington, Edgewater and Villa Angela beaches. The site also hosts data from Toledo’s Maumee State Park beach.

Image: The Cuyahoga River and downtown Cleveland (Credit: DandZ, via Wikimedia Commons)

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