Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Strategy (CHEERS)
CHEERS ambitiously transforms Cleveland’s East Side shoreline, restoring the current mile of hardened edge into a place for people and nature. The initiative creates 100 acres of parks and protected inlets, enhancing coastal resilience to benefit the community, economy, and environment. The innovative, beneficial use of dredge material creates an opportunity to expand parks and habitat north of I-90, protect infrastructure, and create a sheltered embayment where visitors can safely access the lake.
CHEERS provides 3.85 million cubic yards of space, equating to 20 years of capacity for beneficial use of dredge material. The innovative project solves a pressing regional issue and contributes to an equitable and resilient future.
CHEERS Plan
CHEERS creates new shoreline and habitat, expands park spaces, and increases connections between nearby neighborhoods and Lake Erie. The project protects existing critical infrastructure through the innovative beneficial use of dredge material. Note the original natural shoreline circa 1877 (white dashes), and the current hardened bulkheading (white dots).
By the Numbers
Restores
6000
linear feet of shoreline
Creates
100+
acres of new park
Builds
13000
linear feet of shoreline
Targeted Benefits
- Solves long term dredging solution in an environmentally sustainable manner
- Preserves federal navigation channel
- Ensures continued commercial and recreational navigation Promotes Beneficial Use Expands parks and habitats Creates equitable and resilient future
- Access to lakefront & nature for historically underserved and disadvantaged communities
Total Projected Costs
- $300m for In-Water Structures
- $100m for Park
Funding to Date
- $5.2m Grand Funds
- $1m Partner Funds
CHEERS is about more than what can be measured. CHEERS is about:
- Reimaging our shoreline to create lasting, regional impacts
- Reconnecting our neighborhoods to the lake
- Shifting to co-beneficial ways of handling dredge material
- Developing a resilient future for our region now and in the future
Partners
