Robert Brown,

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Robert Brown, City of Kent Erin Ansell, Ted
Johnson, P.E., Camp Dresser McKee August 16-17,
2004

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Cuyahoga River Watershed is located in NE Ohio
City of Kent
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The river is known for catching fire several
times in the 1950s and 60s.
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The City of Kent is located on the Middle
Cuyahoga 40 miles upstream of Lake Erie
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City of Kent originated as the Mingo village
Honnia
Bradys Leap (1781)

• Crossroads of several trails and river

Honnia
City of Kent
Standing Rock
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European presence was established in 1805 with
milling operations
Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal Kent Dam and lock
(1836)
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The advent of the railroad in 1851 eliminated the
need for the PO Canal and the locks were
destroyed in the flood of 1913
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The locks were replaced with a structural
concrete wall and sluice gates in 1927
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Remnants of the lock walls still remain
Downstream view
Upstream view
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Existing Dam Structure
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The dam and bridge City icons
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The Middle Cuyahoga at Kent Dam has been
identified by OEPA as impaired
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Water quality impairments include

• Problems
• Habitat alteration
• Excessive nutrient levels
• Low dissolved oxygen
• Causes
• Flow modification (Lake Rockwell releases)
• Impoundments (Kent, Munroe Falls dams)
• Municipal WWTP discharges

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Ohio EPA established TMDL Criteria for Middle
Cuyahoga River

• Enhance Dissolved Oxygen
• Restore aquatic habitat upstream of Kent Dam
• Re-establish fish migration

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Controversy over TMDL was immediate
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Historic Element

• Kent dam is on National Registry of Historic
  Places
• Part of historic Kent industrial district
• Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation
  Act (NHPA)
• Consensus on memorandum of agreement to mitigate
  adverse historic impacts Section 106 requirement

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Kent Dam Advisory Committee Mission
Kent Industrial Historic District Section 106
Review MOU
TMDL Requirements 404 Permit Requirements
Historical Element

• Environmental Issues

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Project Approach
Gather Data
Screen Alternatives
Assess Feasible Alternatives
Report to Council
Final Design
Coordinate with Kent Dam Advisory Committee (KDAC)
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Where is there consensus?

• Water quality should be improved
• Historic features are valued
• Moving water is important
• Enhance access, support economic development,
  increase recreation

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KDAC Meeting Summary

• Discussed previous alternatives
• Brainstormed additional design concepts with the
  potential to meet TMDL Criteria
• Fish elevator w/aeration and fill behind dam
• Lower stone arch dam
• Eliminate stone arch dam
• Modify sluice gates
• Developed and ranked critical Must Have issues
  for project

Does Concept meet TMDL Criteria?
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KDAC identified community concerns

• Water quality should be improved
• Flow from Lake Rockwell should increase
• Moving water is important
• Historic features are valued
• Opportunities to provide river access, support
  economic development and increase recreation
  should be explored.

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KDAC Must Have Ranking

• Developed and ranked critical Must Have
  features for project (in order of priority)

• Preserve Stone Arch Dam (Most important)
• Insure adequate water releases from Lake Rockwell
  
• Maintain waterfall
• Improve river access
• Provide navigable channel
• Preserve Lock In-place
• Maintain Dam Pool (Least important)

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CDM and KDAC identified a number of alternative
improvements and evaluated them against TMDL
Goals
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Alternatives were then compared to KDAC OEPA
goals
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KDAC arrived at a preferred alternative which was
then modified to include community-desired
enhancements
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Timely council approval of the Bypass Option
secures Ohio EPA project funding
June 2002
June-October 2002
October 15, 2002
Section 106 Review
Design of Selected Alternative
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CDM designed a bypass channel with interpretative
park
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Bypass channel with park and waterfall
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Hydraulic criteria

• Average channel velocity must be less than 5 fps
  to facilitate fish migration
• Avoid reverse hydraulic jump or keeper
• Minimum channel depth of 18 inches
• Provide portage path with easily accessible take
  out/put in and emergency access
• Bypass channel to convey 100-year event

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Hydraulic modeling results
Main Street Bridge
Kent Dam (modeled as ground points)
100 Yr
50Yr
50 Exceedence Flow
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Hydraulic modeling results
Portage Path
West Lock Wall
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Final design
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Bypass channel outlet required reshaping a
downstream bar
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Final design
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Upstream dam pool channel required stabilization
and habitat diversification
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Channel stabilization structures
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Bank stabilization structures
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From design to reality

• Construction contract awarded to J.D. Williamson
  Construction May 2003
• Estimated construction cost 2.9 million
• Intended project completion Fall 2004
• Construction delayed due to high flows on river
  in 2003

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(No Transcript)
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Robert Brown, City of Kent Erin Ansell, Ted
Johnson, P.E., Camp Dresser McKee August 16-17,
2004