EPA won't allow dumping of Cuyahoga sediment in Lake Erie

Ohio environmental officials have approved the dredging of Cleveland Harbor and the Cuyahoga River — but the sediment can’t be dumped in Lake Erie.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency on Monday said it will allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge up to 225,000 cubic yards of material and deposit it in designated confined disposal facilities.

The Ohio EPA and Corps of Engineers had been locked in a disagreement over whether the sediment was clean enough to be dumped in Lake Erie.

The agency did not approve the in-lake placement because of concerns about the potential of increased polychlorinated biphenyls, known as PCBs, accumulating in fish. The state EPA said also that the proposal was contrary to federal guidelines.