From Junkyard to Wetland: A Success Story

It took a massive cleanup worth millions of dollars and 16 years of effort, but a toxic dumping ground was converted into a healthy wetland in Ohio, United States, in the largest cleanup project as part of a nationwide goal to restore areas to their natural states.

“If someone is interested in habitat restoration, there’s no better place,” says Chris Davis, a plant ecologist for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. “This was a toxic wasteland only a few decades ago. To find this diversity of species there today is remarkable.”

Following the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and The Clean Water Act in 1972, projects to clean contaminated sites started to burgeon. The former Krejci dump’s cleanup was financed by six polluters – including Ford and General Motors – held financially accountable for polluting the area, shelling out between $50 and $60 million to decontaminate and naturalize the soil. “The total cost was exorbitant; it was the largest cleanup by far in National Park Service history.” Some 3.5 acres of seasonal wetlands were recreated, and native grasses, wildflowers, and sedges were planted. The environmental renewal of the former junkyard is a plant-and-animal-filled seasonal marshland Jefferson salamanders, American toads, bald eagles, and woodcocks call home.