Black River AOC Advisory Committee

The Black River was formerly the only river system in Ohio where the entire watershed was designated as an Area of Concern. Because of this, a committee called the Black River Remedial Action Plan, a unique community-based public/private initiative, was formed and adopted the motto, "Our River, Our Responsibility." Based on new guidance from the EPA, the name was changed to the Black River AOC Advisory Committee in 2014. In July 2015, U.S. EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office approved the re-designation of the Black River AOC to no longer include the East and West Branches of the river after reviewing environmental data that showed those branches do not significantly differ in land use or primary causes of unattainment than similar agricultural non-AOC watersheds around the Great Lakes.