For many paddlers and river advocates, the story of the Cuyahoga River has been one of persistence and long-term vision. One of the most important chapters in that story centers on the Ohio Edison Dam, often called the Gorge Dam, and the opportunity to restore a free-flowing river through the heart of Cuyahoga Falls. This section of the Cuyahoga River starts at the base of the Ohio Edison Dam and extends roughly one mile downstream to Cascade Valley Park, forming what paddlers know as the lower gorge. Upstream, the upper gorge begins near the Class IV–V Sheraton section and continues beneath the impounded pool created by the dam, which has submerged many natural drops and rapids that once defined this reach and gave Cuyahoga Falls its name.
Built in the early twentieth century, the Ohio Edison Dam originally served hydropower and industrial cooling needs, but those functions ended long ago. In the mid-2000s, a proposal to install new hydropower generation and secure a federal license for the dam threatened to lock in continued impoundment of the gorge and foreclose future restoration. American Whitewater, working alongside our local affiliate Keel Hauler Canoe Club and local volunteers, engaged in the federal licensing process to ensure that the paddling community’s interests, river restoration goals, and water quality concerns were part of the public record. That proposal to install hydropower on the dam ultimately encountered legal and practical obstacles and was abandoned, preserving the opportunity for full river restoration.
Today, focus has shifted entirely to removing the dam and restoring the gorge. The Free the Falls initiative, led by Summit Metro Parks with state, federal, and local partners, is moving forward with sediment removal behind the Gorge Dam — a necessary step before the structure itself can be taken down. Physical dam removal is anticipated later in this decade. When the Ohio Edison Dam comes out, long-submerged rapids in both the upper and lower gorge will be re-exposed, reconnecting a continuous whitewater corridor through an urban landscape and opening new opportunities for paddlers.
Other barriers on the river have already come down. The Brecksville Diversion Dam in Cuyahoga Valley National Park was removed in 2020, restoring free-flowing water through that reach for the first time in nearly two centuries and improving habitat connectivity and recreational access.
At the same time, water quality improvements continue. The City of Akron is carrying out major combined sewer overflow control projects under a federal consent decree. New underground conveyance and storage infrastructure now under construction will sharply reduce untreated storm overflows into the Cuyahoga and Little Cuyahoga Rivers once completed later this decade. These investments complement dam removal by ensuring that newly restored river reaches will also be cleaner and safer for paddlers.
The Cuyahoga’s recovery has never been the result of a single project. It has come from sustained community engagement, partnerships, and a shared belief that this river can once again live up to its name. As the Gorge Dam’s days finally grow short, paddlers are closer than ever to reclaiming the whitewater heart of the Crooked River.