Portions of Conneaut Creek were officially designated as a State Wild and Scenic River in October of 2005.  The designation provides state protection to a 21-mile stretch of the creek from the Ohio-Pennsylvania border to the former Penn Central Railroad bridge in the city of Conneaut, Ohio. Conneaut Creek provides diverse habitats for wildlife, recreation for the public including fishing and canoeing, and is nationally recognized destination amongst anglers for high-quality steelhead trout fishing. The property is administered by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Natural Area Preserves (DNAP) and managed by the Ohio Scenic Rivers Program.

The Conneaut Creek Dam was a low-head dam built in 1938. The dam removal project is located within the Scenic River portion of Conneaut Creek, just west of Center Road Bridge in Conneaut, Ohio. The project involves the removal of concrete remnants and abutments from the low-head dam, removal of other concrete remnants from unknown origin, and bank stabilization with natural bioengineering techniques. The project is being executed through the ODNR Division of Engineering with the intent to restore the creek to its natural character and reduce streambank and streambed erosion caused by the remnants of the former dam.