CUYAHOGA RIVER COMMUNITY PLANNING ORGANIZATION

BREAKNECK CREEK

is the second largest tributary to the Cuyahoga River, draining 78 square miles from 11 communities with 13,000 households and 34,000 residents.

It begins its flow at Congress Lake in Stark County and travels north through Portage County, emptying into the Cuyahoga River near the city of Kent.
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The Breakneck Creek Watershed, like most of Northeast Ohio, was shaped by glacial activity thousands of years ago. The surrounding land is relatively flat, creating a slow, calmly moving stream flanked by a variety of wetlands in many areas.
It is rich in natural and cultural resources such as forests, wetlands, farmlands, scenic landscapes, recreation areas and rural small-town communities. Much of the land is still undeveloped, with many large parcels still intact. This appealing natural and cultural heritage is attracting significant growth and development, and with it comes the need to balance changing land uses with watershed stewardship.This is especially important considering that ten of thousands of people get their drinking water from the watershed's lakes and wells.
The watershed is home to a great diversity of plant and animal communities, and endangered species. The Creek and its adjacent wetlands are important fish and waterfowl breeding grounds, and the riparian and upland forests and meadows provide critical migration corridors.
CHALLENGES TO THE WATERSHED AND CREEK POLLUTION Storm water washes pollutants such as pesticides, sediments and trace metals into Breakneck Creek from farms, construction sites and parking lots. This "nonpoint source pollution" causes water quality to deteriorate, affecting drinking water and increasing the amount of treatment necessary. FLOODING AND EROSION Development increases impervious surfaces causing storm water to rush across the surface in greater volumes and at greater speeds. This creates more frequent flooding and erosion, and threatens roads, bridges and homes as well as the creek beds and banks. LOSS OF HABITAT Wildlife habitat is lost or fragmented as communities develop. Aquatic habitat is scoured away as stream channels receive larger amounts of storm water.

The Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization (CRCPO)
is host to the Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan (RAP) and
the Cuyahoga American Heritage River Initiative.

We work with partners, stakeholders and communities
in five Northeast Ohio counties to restore and revitalize the
Cuyahoga River Watershed and Areas Of Concern, and
to improve water quality in the watershed and Lake Erie.

www.cuyahogariverrap.org