The short version for Cuyahoga anglers: the falls are not being uncovered this season, but the project is in the phase that makes that future possible. As of June 2026, the Free the Falls effort is still centered on Phase II sediment remediation behind the Gorge Dam. The concrete dam comes later.
The U.S. EPA's current project page says the cleanup is remediating an estimated 865,200 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from the Gorge Dam pool, with dredging expected to continue through 2027. That sediment has to be removed, stabilized, and placed before the 1911 dam can be deconstructed and the Cuyahoga can return to a more natural, free-flowing channel through the gorge.
What Is Happening Now
The active work is the unglamorous but essential part: dredging the old impoundment. EPA contractors are removing sediment from behind the dam, transporting it through a temporary pipeline, stabilizing it, and placing it in the prepared sediment placement area at the Chuckery Area of Cascade Valley Metro Park.
The contaminants EPA lists for the dam-pool sediments are the industrial-era mix that makes this more than a normal dam-removal job: PAHs, PCBs, oil and grease, and heavy metals including cadmium and lead. That is why the current phase is measured in seasons, not weeks.
The Updated Working Timeline
The official Summit Metro Parks page is careful: there is still no single firm completion date because the work overlaps with Akron's sewer construction and depends on several construction phases. The practical sequence from the current EPA, Summit Metro Parks, and Signal Akron updates looks like this:
| Phase | Current Timing | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Phase II: Sediment remediation | Summer 2025 through approximately 2027 | Dredge, transport, stabilize, and place the contaminated sediment before dam work begins. |
| Design and bid path | 2026 into 2027 | Akron's GPD Group design contract covers biddable documents and removal plans, with plans expected next year per Signal Akron's April council coverage. |
| Phase III: Dam deconstruction | Targeted to begin in 2028 | Concrete removal follows sediment remediation. Signal Akron's April public-meeting coverage points to 2028 as the expected start. |
| Phase IV: Channel restoration | Late 2020s, with completion target around 2030 | The river channel through Gorge Metro Park is restored after the dam comes down, allowing the hidden falls area to return toward a natural form. |
That timeline has an important nuance: the 2028 and 2030 dates are the current public working targets, not a guarantee that every construction variable has been locked. EPA's project page says sediment dredging continues through 2027 and that dam removal follows as a subsequent project. Signal Akron's April 30 public-meeting report adds the working expectation that dam removal begins in 2028 and completes the project by 2030.
Why This Phase Matters To The Fishery
The Gorge Dam is not just an old structure in a scenic canyon. It is the major remaining interruption in a river system that has been recovering for decades. Once the dam is removed, public updates describe the Cuyahoga as free-flowing from the Lake Rockwell Dam in Kent to Lake Erie. For anglers, that matters because habitat connectivity, water quality, and natural channel form are the foundation that make any long-term coldwater or migratory-fish opportunity more believable.
There is also a local-history piece here. The dam sits over the Big Falls, the feature that gave Cuyahoga Falls its name. The project will not simply make the river look different; it will uncover a landscape that has been buried behind a pool for more than a century. The final shape of the falls and rapids is still uncertain because the river will have to rework the exposed channel naturally.
Closures Anglers Should Know
Summit Metro Parks lists several current closures tied to dam-removal construction and Akron sewer work. The Chuckery Area of Cascade Valley Metro Park and its trails are closed. At Gorge Metro Park, the Highbridge Trail lot, Glens Trail, and the lower portion of the Gorge Trail are closed. The main entrance of Gorge Metro Park and the upper portion of Gorge Trail remain open.
For now, treat the gorge as an active construction zone first and a recreation destination second. The project is worth watching, but this is not the phase for wandering into closed areas to look for a better angle.
Bottom Line
The June 2026 update is progress, but not the dramatic part yet. The barge, pipeline, sediment placement area, and closures are the visible signs that the cleanup phase is moving. If the current sequence holds, 2027 is the sediment year, 2028 is when dam removal begins, and 2030 is the target for the fully restored chapter to come into view.
References: U.S. EPA, Cuyahoga Gorge Dam Great Lakes Legacy Act Cleanup, last updated June 11, 2026; Summit Metro Parks, Free the Falls project page; Signal Akron, Gorge Dam design contract coverage, April 23, 2026; Signal Akron, Free the Falls progress update and Q&A, April 30, 2026.
Related reading: Previous Gorge Dam progress report · Cuyahoga River history · Live Cuyahoga River conditions.
