Ohio's Remedial Action Plan Program
What is Ohio's RAP Program?
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There are four Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) in Ohio: Ashtabula River (USEPA), Black River, Cuyahoga River, and Maumee River. Ohio EPA is responsible for ensuring RAPs are implemented in Ohio. These areas are the State's most polluted and environmentally impacted rivers which empty into Lake Erie. Ohio's Remedial Action Plan Program (GLIN) addresses the restoration of beneficial uses (GLIN) in Ohio's four Lake Erie Areas of Concern (AOC) (GLIN). As requested in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, (IJC) the RAPs take an ecosystem approach and incorporate active public involvement.
Why are Ohio's RAPs being done?
Year after year, the same locations were identified as the most contaminated areas around the Great Lakes. The adoption and implementation of environmental laws and regulations significantly reduced the discharge of pollutants, but these areas continued to experience severe environmental degradation. In 1985, the Water Quality Board of the International Joint Commission (IJC) recommended the development of comprehensive remedial action plans (RAPs) to concentrate on the cleanup and restoration of these areas. New, creative, innovative, collaborative and wide-reaching approaches would be needed to achieve this goal. The eight Great Lakes states and Ontario agreed to the challenge and Ohio EPA took the lead for the program in Ohio.
How are Ohio's RAPs set-up?
Neither the State nor Federal Governments had sufficient resources, the historical knowledge, or even the authorities to restore all the impairments identified. Ohio EPA invited the local communities to become active participants in the decision-making involved with the RAPs. Initial public meetings on the RAP process and the outstanding environmental problems in each AOC were held in 1987. At those meetings, the local communities showed a great interest in taking a strong role in restoring their rivers.
Local committees have been created in each of the areas to coordinate the development and implementation of the RAP. Ohio EPA works with these committees as an equal partner in the RAP process. The local committees have been built with the intention of obtaining representation from all of the local agencies, organizations, and unaffiliated citizens with an interest or a stake in river remediation.
Each of Ohio's RAPs has been organized somewhat differently, depending on the unique characteristics of each AOC. These characteristics include: environmental problems in the AOC, sources and causes of the problems, available resources - both technical and financial, political climate, public interest, and the volunteer base.
What makes Ohio's RAP program work?
The ecosystem approach and the public involvement requirements of the RAP process have allowed us to be as flexible and innovative as we need to be to restore all beneficial uses to each AOC. With funding from U.S. EPA and the State, Ohio EPA has been able to support a full-time coordinator for each RAP. However, much cross-program technical assistance has been provided by staff from several divisions and districts. This agency-wide cooperation has been invaluable to the RAP program. Promotion of the following concepts by Ohio EPA have lead to an effective RAP program in Ohio.
- Empowering the local communities with Ohio EPA as an equal partner.
- Community participation promotes local ownership.
- Participation of professional planners.
- Top-down commitment.
- Keeping RAP needs and accomplishments high profile.
- Creating a separate identity.
- Staff enthusiasm, dedication, and creativity.
- Volunteer enthusiasm, dedication, and creativity.
- Developing partnerships with existing programs.
- Constant communication at all levels.
- Extensive efforts to seek funding.
- Setting milestones to encourage enthusiasm rather than unrealistic goals that generate frustration.
- Strategic planning.
- Numerous efforts to keep the public informed, aware and involved.
- Keeping state and U.S. elected officials apprised of RAP efforts.
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