Governor John R. Kasich joined local and federal officials yesterday to celebrate the environmentally-friendly dredging of the Toledo Harbor by signing a proclamation of collaboration between the state, city of Toledo, and the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.
Ohio EPA has identified $10 million dollars of funding from Governor Kasich’s capital budget to promote alternative beneficial uses for Toledo Harbor dredge materials.
Paul Toth, President and CEO of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority , said: “ We are very grateful for the State’s leadership and commitment in finding alternatives to open lake disposal for materials dredged from Toledo Harbor. Over the past several years, the community has been working hard on the development of the Toledo Harbor Sediment Management and Use Plan. With the support of the State of Ohio and the financial resources that have been dedicated for the first phases of plan implementation, we are more optimistic than ever that that we can finally begin to reduce the amount of material that is deposited into Lake Erie each year.”
“This visit by Governor Kasich sets the stage for the future of responsible and beneficial dredged material management practices in Toledo Harbor. These projects will advance the Management and Use Plan by utilizing material for agricultural field improvements, engineered soils, and wetland restoration. We believe that through the research, design and implementation of these concurrent beneficial use projects a Dredge Material Center of Innovation will be born that will attract future academic, financial, and entrepreneurial interest leading to even more opportunities and options for beneficial use.”
Lt. Col. Karl D. Jansen, USACE Buffalo District Commander , said: “The Corps of Engineers is committed to keeping Toledo Harbor open, and fully supports beneficial use of dredged material. We look forward to working with this partnership to achieve the goals of the demonstration project.”
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Press Release, July 18, 2014