Gorge Metro Park to close during effort to “Free the Falls,” public meeting planned
The effort to eventually remove the Gorge Dam in Gorge Metro Park (Akron, Ohio) will continue into the next phase. Summit Metro Parks expects to close the Highbridge Trail Area of Gorge Metro Park (1270 Front St., Akron) beginning June 2, 2025 while a U.S. EPA contractor prepares to remove the built-up sediment behind the dam. Other remaining areas of Gorge Metro Park are expected to close later this summer and will remain closed for several years during the project.
While preliminary planning for dam removal has been underway for decades, the Free the Falls project will occur over the course of four phases. Phase 1, now complete, included design and engineering of the sediment remediation process. During Phase 2, which is set to begin this summer, dredged sediment will be transported via temporary pipeline to be safely stored at a sediment placement site that has been prepared at the Chuckery Area of Cascade Valley Metro Park. Phase 3 will include the careful removal of the concrete dam structure and, as the final step, Phase 4 of the project will be to restore the river channel through Gorge Metro Park to assist the river and surrounding landscape in returning to its natural state. The three final phases are expected to take at least seven years to complete.
“We are thrilled to enter the next phase of the intricate process to remove the Gorge Dam. While we know it is disappointing to keep Metro Park areas closed for an extended period, this project promises to unlock important ecological opportunities for Northeast Ohio and beyond,” said Lisa King, executive director of Summit Metro Parks.
“Park visitors should make plans to explore Gorge Metro Park this month ahead of the closure, as the next time its opened to the public it may look dramatically different,” King added.
Summit Metro Parks requests that visitors to Gorge Metro Park avoid the area of the T-dock, which is this week being removed by park district staff to prepare for the sediment remediation project and will require heavy machinery to be operating in the area.
Built more than 100 years ago, the Gorge Dam no longer serves any useful purpose and is one of the largest remaining unresolved water quality problems for the Cuyahoga River. In addition to restoring water quality, removing the dam and the sediment behind it will enhance wildlife habitat and improve human health in Northeast Ohio and beyond. It will restore the original grandeur of the Gorge, creating a vibrant future for the river, its watershed and its people. That future will provide clean water, natural beauty, recreational opportunities and economic development for all to enjoy.
During the park closure, Summit Metro Parks and the city of Cuyahoga Falls are coordinating to permanently remove all sanitary outfalls sewers from Gorge Metro Park. The existing sanitary sewers outfalls were installed in the early 1900s. Additionally, the city of Akron’s NSIT work has been underway at Cascade Valley Metro Park in the same area as the dredged sediment placement site. Cascade Valley Metro Park has been closed since 2023 and will remain closed through the sediment remediation process.
For more information about the project, partners encourage the public to attend a public meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 19, at the Akron-Summit County Public Library Main Branch. For additional project background, please visit bit.ly/FREETHEFALLS.