[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 113 (Thursday, July 10, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1442]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              IN RECOGNITION OF THE WEST CREEK CONFLUENCE

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                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 10, 2008

  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of a 
``Concrete Breaking'' celebration at the confluence of West Creek and 
the Cuyahoga River in the city of Independence in Ohio's 10th 
Congressional District.
  The West Creek--Cuyahoga River Confluence Restoration Project 
implements the vision expressed in both the city of Independence Master 
Plan and West Creek Watershed Plan by restoring a 10-acre vacant 
industrial site where West Creek meets the Cuyahoga River in 
Independence, Ohio. The property currently contains approximately 85% 
impervious surface, contributing significant non-point source pollution 
which flows directly into West Creek and the Cuyahoga. The property and 
this entire area have flooded repeatedly during recent storm events and 
is at the center of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Section 205 study 
to find the best way to mitigate flood damage. The restoration includes 
plans for its future use as a public riverfront park with the added 
benefits of ecological habitat restoration and storm water management 
best practices.
  On Friday July 11, 2008, Independence Mayor Gregory Kurtz, in 
collaboration with the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, the 
Trust for Public Land, the George Gund Foundation, the Natural 
Resources Assistance Council of Cuyahoga County, the Clean Ohio Fund, 
the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the Ohio Department of 
Transportation and other partners, will begin the demolition of the 
industrial buildings to begin the restoration.
  When completed, West Creek will return to its original meandering 
flow into the Cuyahoga River with natural wetlands to reduce upstream 
flooding, clean local drinking water, and restored wildlife habitats. 
The new park will connect the West Creek Greenway to the Ohio and Erie 
Canal Towpath Trail, provide new access to the creek and river for all, 
and lead to economic revitalization of this part of the city of 
Independence. This project will contribute greatly to the continuing 
restoration of the Cuyahoga River, one of the 14 federally designated 
American Heritage Rivers.
  The benefits of the West Creek Confluence Project are numerous. 
Locally, it will reclaim underutilized industrial property, create a 
new and dynamic recreation area along the National Scenic Byway, 
restore a more natural hydrology to Lower West Creek, create an area 
for urban ecology to flourish, retain and filter storm water which will 
mitigate the effects of flooding, and reduce non-point source pollution 
entering into West Creek and the Cuyahoga River. From a regional 
perspective, the West Creek Confluence Project will work to herald in a 
new era of sustainable redevelopment within the Lower Cuyahoga River 
Valley, capitalizing on recreational and commercial uses that still 
allow for a functioning floodplain with a high degree of ecological 
diversity, flood storage and habitat connectivity.
  Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing the 
beauty and regional ecologic importance of the West Creek Confluence 
and the pivotal project now underway to ensure it returns to its former 
natural prominence.

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