Cleveland Ohio

Conserving, protecting and restoring North America's cold water fisheries and their watersheds.
  Area News—Part 1    
Storm water runoff is a drain on Cleveland Metroparks as they battle erosion
Cleveland Plain Dealer Article—Read Full Article
  By James Ewinger
  April 14, 2010, 6:55AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Developed land outside the Cleveland Metroparks has turned the 22,000-acre Emerald Necklace into the region's catch-basin for storm water runoff, damaging park property and costing taxpayers millions of dollars each year.

The runoff also is accelerating the erosion of hundreds of miles of waterways within the parks system, flushing as much as 45,000 tons of silt out into Lake Erie each year.
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Serving Northern Ohio

Details on Chagrin River restoration plan

Published: Friday, November 20, 2009 By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com

The finishing touches are being readied on a plan submitted by Kirtland Hills Village to the Ohio

Environmental Protection Agency for the restoration of the east branch of the Chagrin River. This plan consists of site assessment, restoration details and implementation, as well as monitoring the process before and after work.

It was the product of Oxbow River and Stream Restoration of Delaware, Ohio.

Among the objectives the plan spells out include regrading of the spoil piles as well as conducting extensive plantings of native trees and shrubs along a 50-foot-wide corridor on either side of the river. "The plan is an attempt to flush out the items that were agreed to in the earlier orders. I think we've made a good

start and just need to work out some of the details. We're hoping that the restoration work can begin next spring or early summer," said Paul Anderson, Ohio EPA environmental specialist.

At issue is the disturbance of about 8,700 feet of the Chagrin River's east branch in Kirtland Hills. It centers around the movement of about 20,000 cubic yards of gravel, stone and other aggregate material that was scooped from the stream bed and placed along its banks.

This work was performed in part on property owned by the village and runs upstream from Kirtland-Chardon

Road to near St. Hubert's Episcopal Church on Baldwin Road. Performing at least some of the work was Jerome T. Osborne Sr., who owns property along the stream and who also had entered into an agreement with the village to conduct the work.

This work was not approved by the Ohio EPA, however, which first learned of the incident in July 2007. One of the things the plan will list is how long it will take to complete, Anderson said. "We're asking for a little more detail on that, but the work should take at least a couple of months," he said. The orders also required the village to purchase a device that measures stream flow. "The village did purchase that device and the OEPA installed it, so we're starting to do flow monitoring. That

will provide us with data on stream flow every 15 minutes and tell us how the flow impacts the restoration

work," Anderson said. "We need to know if there is a failure in the design or something else. It's very important data to have when you're doing a project like this.

Kirtland Hills Law Director James Hackenberg and John F. Turben, the village's mayor, were unavailable for

comment. The Ohio Attorney General's Office continues to review the Ohio EPA's request for enforcement action related to Osborne.
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Serving Northern Ohio

Vermilion River land may
turn into new park

Published: Friday, November 20, 2009

By RICHARD PAYERCHIN

rpayerchin@MorningJournal.com

VERMILION – A 1.68-acre parcel at the mouth of the Vermilion River could become public property as early as next year.

The Western Reserve Land Conservancy will use state and private monies to buy the Wakefield property, 5540 Huron Road, Vermilion. The land sits on the west bank at the river's mouth, with 500 feet of river frontage and a 300-foot beach immediately east of Vermilion's Main Street Beach.

"It's kind of a cornerstone for future beach preservation and access in Vermilion," said Larry Bettcher, president of Bettcher Industries and a project supporter. "It's unique and it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It's not going to come by again."

Eventually, the house on the parcel will be removed or torn down and it would be redeveloped as a park, said Andy McDowell, field manager for the Western Reserve Land Conservancy's Oberlin office.

Bettcher appeared at yesterday's Erie County Commission meeting with McDowell and Vermilion Mayor-elect Eileen Bulan. They praised the concept for expanding the public beach and river access for Vermilion and Erie County residents.

"It's such a unique opportunity to preserve a piece of property like this that would otherwise never ever come around," McDowell said. "It's a terrific opportunity to do it."

The WRLC has secured $850,000 from the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund and is raising money to close on the property next year, McDowell said. The land organization also has a purchase agreement in place to buy the site, he said. The house was advertised for sale for about $1.8 million.

The conservation group worked with Erie MetroParks to apply for the state conservation grant, McDowell said.

Now, Erie MetroParks is seeking another state grant for a different project. The state officials who review the grant applications are discouraging public boards from applying for new grant money while earlier projects remain pending, McDowell said.

If Erie MetroParks continues as the grant's public sponsor, it could hurt the chances of Erie MetroParks getting new money, McDowell said.

He asked Erie County commissioners Bill Monaghan and Pat Shenigo to allow Erie County to become the public recipient for the grant. The commissioners agreed as long as Erie County does not have to pay any money for the land. They expect to vote Monday to approve a formal resolution of support.

"We can't let this go by," Monaghan said. "We're glad that we have the opportunity to be a sponsor."

Erie County may take title to the land, but that would be a temporary measure, McDowell said. Eventually, the parcel may be owned by the city and managed by the city or Erie MetroParks, he said.

Once it is public, it will provide access to the river's western break wall. People sneak out there now, Bettcher said, but legally they are trespassing because they must cross over the Wakefield parcel, which right now remains private property.

Erie MetroParks had hoped to use a federal coastal conservation grant to help pay for the land, but the park district did not get that award. Since then, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy has been raising money for the project.

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