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Black River Area of Concern

Black River Advisory Committee's primary goal is to remove the Black River from the US EPA's Area Of Concern (AOC) list. The Advisory Committee is made up of city, state, and federal entities, non-profit organizations, private citizens, and other Black River stakeholders. Lorain County (Soil & Water) Conservation District receives grant support from the Ohio EPA and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), to assist the committee with funding requests, meeting coordination, and project outreach along the lower six miles of the Black River. Ohio Lake Erie Commission (OLEC) provides technical support in ensuring goals & deadlines are met.

While the entire mainstem of the Black River is 15 miles long, the committee's main focus is on the Lower Black River. Starting at the mouth of the river where it drains into Lake Erie and going 6.5 miles upriver to where French Creek flows into the Black River is the main area of focus.

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Management Actions Complete - Moving Toward Delisting!

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The Black River was designated as an Area of Concern (AOC) in 1987 and local, state, and federal partners have worked together in working toward completing all management actions, with the final step officially completed June 6, 2024. The Black River AOC has 3 Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) that remain impaired & are currently being evaluated: 

  • Degradation of Fish Populations

  • Degradation of Benthos Populations

  • Loss of Fish Habitat

The Black River was once known for the mighty ships that were built on its banks. Along with steel and coal utilizing the banks and shoreline, this was Lorain's lifeblood. State, federal, and local efforts continue to help work towards the goal of delisting the Black River AOC, with a goal of delisting by the end of 2027.​

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Announcements (click here for more)

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The 2023-2024 Annual Report is now available for download!  Check it out here or visit the Resources page.

 

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Billboards to be displayed in the Black River Area of Concern in 2025

The Black River Advisory Committee has approved another billboard campaign to bring awareness of the Black River & the strides that have been made toward delisting. Look for 4 key messages beginning early June & running through early July 2025. We're very proud of the work being done to improve the Black River watershed & want to share the news far & wide! Expected impressions (number of people driving past these billboards) is estimated at more than 1.6 million for the 4 week duration of the campaign! We are grateful to Ohio EPA & the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) program for providing funds for this project. Here are the 4 messages to look for:
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​​Quarterly Meetings
All of our meetings have the option to join in person or virtually via Zoom. Our next meeting is Tuesday, October 7th, 2025 at 2:00pm at the Lorain County Public Health building, Community Room, 9880 Murray Ridge Rd., Elyria, OH 44035.
Please Click here for our current schedule of meetings coming up. You will also fin
d an archived list of past meetings and minutes.

Timeline

Learn about the history of the Black River by viewing our timeline.

Multimedia

Learn more about the Black River AOC by viewing our Multimedia section.

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Explore Black River AOC
Learn about the Black River through our multimedia collection and timeline.
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Explore water quality anywhere! Just enter an address then hit Go to go to the EPA'S "How's My Waterway" site

Black River AOC

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Facilitating Organization:

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Lorain County Conservation District

42110 Russia Rd., Elyria, OH 44035
440-406-3365

Email:

blackriveraoc@gmail.com

or 

conservation@loraincounty.us

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This product or publication was financed in part or totally through a grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, with funds from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The contents and views, including any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations, contained in this product or publication are those of the authors and have not been subject to any U.S. EPA or Ohio EPA peer or administrative review and may not necessarily reflect the views of either Agency, and no official endorsement should be inferred.

©2024 by Black River AOC | Developed by Emerge Inc.

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