Posted on March 27, 2017
By Patrick Pfanner, Sandusky Register
The Ohio EPA will help Port Clinton restore its wetlands located between East Perry Street and Lake Erie.
The city has a deal in place with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, based out of Toledo, to provide $975,000 of the roughly $1.3 million for the project. The Ohio EPA will cover $268,000, with the remaining amount paid for by the city.
Mayor Hugh Wheeler revealed the funding news during a recent public meeting.
“This is a really great investment for Port Clinton,” Wheeler said. “The wetlands will finally be able to properly filter runoff before it gets to the lake.”
Crews will remove invasive plant species, like phragmites, and reintroduce appropriate plants and animals. Wheeler said work could begin in 2018 after funding becomes available.
Port Clinton wasn’t alone in its desire for Ohio EPA funding. In fact, 16 other projects were submitted from across the state, all seeking environmental grant dollars.
The Ohio EPA only selects the top four projects for funding, and Port Clinton made the cut.
“I think they were impressed with what the wetlands could be,” Wheeler said. “We’re pretty much shovel-ready and we have all of the ecological studies done.”
Wheeler credited the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their investment and interest in the project.
“The engineers did a tremendous amount of work to make this happen,” Wheeler said. “The studies they completed identified the invasive grasses and showed what was needed in the habitat.”
Source: Sandusky Register
