The Cuyahoga River is in northeastern Ohio and flows through Cleveland and into Lake Erie. The river drains over 800 square miles.Ohio EPA conducts nearshore monitoring that will provide valuable water quality data to inform management decisions and actions to restore Lake Erie. The 100mile Cuyahoga River flows both south and north before emptying into Lake Erie at Cleveland, Ohio. This is a scant 30 miles west of its headwaters. The Complicated Story of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. It operated as a hydroelectric power plant until 1958. Food Safety, Nutrition and Access: Cuyahoga. County is highly urbanized, with limited commercial agriculture, unlike other regions of Ohio. Funding Source: Sanitary Sewer.