Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority announced Aug. 12 that it has been awarded $32.34 million through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to complete the remediation of the Lower Maumee River Sway Bridge Project, a significant milestone in the ongoing restoration of the Maumee River.
The funding will support the removal of approximately 121,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from a one-mile section of the Lower Maumee River along Front Street between the Seneca Petroleum Marine Terminal and the Ironville Marine Terminal. The project represents one of the largest sediment remediation efforts currently underway in Northwest Ohio and is a critical step toward improving water quality, restoring aquatic habitat and advancing the long-term revitalization of Toledo's waterfront.
“We are grateful to the U.S. EPA for its tremendous support of the Lower Maumee River Sway Bridge Project and for its continued confidence in the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority to lead important environmental initiatives throughout Northwest Ohio,” Thomas J. Winston, president and CEO of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, said. “This significant investment builds on our ongoing work to restore and protect our region’s natural resources, strengthen the health and vitality of our community, and ensure a cleaner, healthier Maumee River for generations to come.”
Since March 2024, the Port Authority has led the remedial design for two Lower Maumee River sites, the Sway Bridge and the Wastewater Treatment Plant, in partnership with federal, state and local agencies. The Port Authority retained EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc. to complete the remedial design, including field investigations, quality assurance planning, sampling, engineering design and construction specifications. The design for the Sway Bridge site has now been completed, allowing the project to advance into the remediation phase.
The remediation project includes mechanical dredging of contaminated sediment and debris, transportation and disposal of dredged material within the Port Authority's Confined Disposal Facility (CDF), limited backfilling where necessary, structure stability monitoring, verification sampling, residual dredging and placement of amended sediment covers in targeted areas. The Ohio EPA will provide approximately $1.75 million toward disposal costs, fulfilling the required local cost share under the Great Lakes Legacy Act.
The Lower Maumee River Sway Bridge site has been identified as a priority for remediation due to elevated concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other contaminants within the river sediment. Removing these contaminated sediments will help address several Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs), including degraded fish populations, degraded benthic communities and the loss of fish habitat.
The Sway Bridge and the Wastewater Treatment Plant are located within the Maumee Area of Concern, which was designated in 1987 by the United States and Canada after decades of industrial pollution, untreated wastewater discharges, stormwater runoff and habitat degradation impacted approximately 787 square miles of Northwest Ohio waterways, including nearly 1,900 miles of streams and 45 miles of Lake Erie shoreline.
To date, the U.S. EPA and its partners have completed 42 of 53 planned management actions within the Maumee Area of Concern, including the removal of more than 300,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment and the restoration of more than 3,500 acres of habitat. These efforts have resulted in the removal of four BUIs, with additional projects continuing to move the area toward eventual delisting.
The Port Authority has long served as a regional leader in environmental stewardship and waterfront redevelopment. Through the operation of its Confined Disposal Facility, management of dredging projects and collaboration with local, state and federal partners, the Port Authority continues to invest in projects that protect the Maumee River and the Great Lakes, strengthening maritime infrastructure and supporting economic growth throughout Northwest Ohio.
