WILLIAMSBURG floodplain WETLAND RESTORATION

CLERMONT SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT – WILLIAMSBURG, OH

Removal of post-settlement alluvium from the East Fork Little Miami River, combined with rehabilitation of a former water supply reservoir, has created an off-channel wetland complex that attenuates peak flows and assimilates nutrient and sediment pollution upstream of Harsha Lake, where harmful algal blooms have been a problem. Monitoring (by others) has documented significant removal rates of sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

EAST FORK RIPARIAN RESERVE STREAM & WETLAND RESTORATION

CLERMONT SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT – CLINTON & CLERMONT COUNTIES, OH

Restored stream-wetland floodplain that intercepts agricultural runoff from a ~1.5 square mile watershed, designed to assimilate nutrient and sediment pollution prior to discharging into the East Fork of the Little Miami River.  The excavated floodplain soil from the stream-wetland complex was repurposed to create an upland wetland feature with an elevated trail for hiking and bird-watching. Trees and brush that were cleared to make room for the restored floodplain were reused as habitat features in the stream and wetlands.  The wood also provides a carbon source, a critical ingredient in the denitrification process that converts ammonia fertilizer runoff back into harmless nitrogen gas that naturally makes up ~80% of the earth’s atmosphere.  A trail network facilitates the use and enjoyment of the preserve with elevated views of the ephemeral wetland and a meandering path along the restored stream.  The trail network improvements also included the demolition of an eroding and decaying unsafe bridge with a stepping stone crossing of the restored stream.  

LICK RUN STREAM DAYLIGHTING & URBAN RENEWAL

METROPOLITAN SEWER DISTRICT OF GREATER CINCINNATI - CINCINNATI, OH

~5,700 feet of daylighted stream, park creation, and urban renewal in a historically underserved neighborhood. Collectively, the watershed-scale restoration in the Lick Run sewershed (stormwater separation, green infrastructure, stream daylighting, and park/neighborhood renewal) saved the City an estimated $170M relative to the sewer storage tunnel alternative while mitigating Cincinnati’s largest combined sewer overflow. Planning and engagement (over 60 public meetings and 3 public workshops) showed that the local stakeholders preferred the daylighting alternative at a rate of over 9 to 1 over the tunnel, and helped to guide implementation toward the designed channel aesthetic (natural creek rock with designed landscape).

Read The Article → Cincinnati Magazine, Feb 2021 (p. 46-49, 82-83): The Genius of Water

Gateway Campus Stormwater Renovation

Boone County Conservation District - Burlington, KY

Stormwater naturalization of a 43-acre college campus, including swale rehabilitation, catch basin retrofits, native meadow restoration, and the transformation of two conventional detention basins into stream/wetland complexes that expand habitat, enhance water quality, and release a more natural flow regime in the headwaters of Gunpowder Creek.

Low head dam mitigation

Mill Creek Alliance – Cincinnati, OH

Gently sloped rock riffles with protruding habitat boulders mitigate two low head dams on the Lower Mill Creek by restoring fish passage and improving recreational safety.

Read The Article → American Rivers: Urban River Renewal: Celebrating Ohio's Mill Creek

Red Oak Creek Stream Mitigation

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) – Owen County, KY

~8,900 feet of stream restoration and over 3,000 feet of preservation in the Dr. James R. Rich Wildlife Management Area owned and managed by KDFWR.

Muddy Creek Stream Restoration

City of Mason, OH

~1,300 feet of stream and floodplain restoration improves water quality, enhances habitat, and protects public safety along the floodplain bike path​.

Glenway Woods Stream Daylighting

Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati - Cincinnati, OH

~3,200 feet of daylighted stream in a nature preserve with native limestone “creek rock” revives a stream that had been buried in a combined sewer for more than 100 years.

Banklick Wetland Streambank Stabilization

Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky – Covington, KY

Boulder toe armoring and vegetation as well as a rock riffle stabilize an eroding streambank, ultimately protecting the equilibrium basin for a $2M wetland.

Little Miami Scenic River Stream Restoration

Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Warren County, OH

Rehabilitation on one of Ohio’s highest quality river systems with endangered mussels promotes in-stream habitat while restoring bank stability and protecting a popular bike trail.

Stonewall Stream and Floodplain Rehabilitation

Stonewall Equestrian Estates – Lexington, KY

~1,500 feet of stream and floodplain restoration in a horse pasture with chronically unstable banks and poor habitat.

Acacia Northeast Pond Optimization and Stream Daylighting

Cleveland Metroparks – Lyndhurst, OH

Pond retrofit delivers prolonged baseflows and reduced peak flows to a newly daylighted ~240-foot stream-wetland complex.

YMCA BANKFULL Wetland

Boone County Conservation District - Burlington, KY

~7-acre-ft floodplain wetland provides hydrologic restoration to Gunpowder Creek while also improving habitat conditions, water quality benefits, and serving as an educational feature for YMCA programming.

Stream Restoration and LHD Mitigation at Evendale Commons

Mill Creek Alliance - Cincinnati, OH

A constructed riffle coupled with vegetated floodplain benches and rehabilitated banks restore an over-widened section of Mill Creek with chronic bank erosion and mitigate the recreational hazards associated with the low-head dam.

WOODLAWN STREAM ENHANCEMENT VIA HAND STRUCTURES

MILL CREEK ALLIANCE/VILLAGE OF WOODLAWN – WOODLAWN, OHIO

~750 feet of a silty suburban stream with chronic downcutting and bank erosion were rehabilitated via hand-placed log structures that restore fluvial processes, reduce sediment loads, and trap organic matter while preserving the existing tree canopy.

Dry Creek Rehabilitation via Boulder Riffle​

Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky – villa hills, KY

Mitigating chronic downcutting and channel instability at an exposed sewer main with a boulder riffle that restores stable benthic habitat and fish connectivity​.

Wolsing Woods Bankfull Wetland and Streambank Rehabilitation​

banklick watershed council northern kentucky - independence, ky

Reconnecting a formerly disconnected floodplain, reducing streambed erosion, and restoring off-channel fish habitat and floodplain wetlands.​

Marival-Broadview Stream Restoration

City of Mason - Mason, OH

~2,500 feet of stream restoration throughout a neighborhood delivers water quality, habitat, and improved aesthetics to a degraded system.

SUSTAINABLE SEWER PROTECTION AND STREAM REHABILITATION

MONTGOMERY COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES – DAYTON, OH

Stream habitat restoration in the vicinity of exposed sanitary sewer infrastructure provides a sustainable approach to protect aquatic ecosystems and public health.

Rapid Run park bioswale

Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati - Cincinnati, OH

Bioswale design includes several step-pools to slow, detain, and cleanse stormwater runoff from a local park and an adjacent roadway.

Curry's fork stream restoration

Oldham County Fiscal Court - Oldham County, KY

Restoration project involves targeted bank stabilization, removal of invasive species and tires from the channel, and native riparian plantings.

SPUI Bioretention STREAM-WETLAND COMPLEX

Boone County Conservation District – Burlington, KY

Stormwater BMP restores stream/wetland habitat and meets water quality, channel protection, and flood control criteria to intercept and treat stormwater runoff from a major interchange at the headwaters of Woolper Creek.