Partnership with the City of Lorain leads to Martin’s Run Wetland and Stream Restoration Project.

As a part of Governor Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio initiative, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and the City of Lorain today dedicated the Martin’s Run Wetland And Stream Restoration Project in Lorain County.

 

 

 

 

 

“It’s exciting to see the H2Ohio initiative in action in different communities all across Ohio,” Gov. DeWine said. “We are working to protect our waterways and ensure access to safe, clean water – and each complete project puts us one step closer to achieving that goal.”

Martin’s Run is a direct tributary to Lake Erie. This 18-acre project provides a unique opportunity to showcase wetland and stream restoration within an urbanized area located just downstream from active farmland.  While its primary benefit is nutrient reduction, this wetland site also included the removal of non-native, invasive plant species like honeysuckle, and the end result will be better habitat for native species.

 

 

 

 

“We are so happy to see this project in northeast Ohio come to life, expanding our constantly growing H2Ohio work,” ODNR Director Mary Mertz said. “Each wetland we build is not only an investment into water quality, but into the people and communities in all corners of Ohio.”

 

 

 

 

 

ODNR currently has more than 110 wetland projects complete or underway across the state. Read more about the different sites here. ODNR also has 57 partners in this initiative, including the City of Lorain.

“With over 140 acres of property restored along the Black River in the last decade, we were excited to partner with Governor DeWine and the H2Ohio Program to restore more than 1,000 feet of Martin’s Run and 18 acres of critical wetland and floodplain habitat within the watershed,” Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley said. “The important ecological functions that this project provides cannot be understated, as this system reduces sediment and nutrient loading in Lake Erie by more than 117 tons per year. The large size of this project within such a highly developed area afforded a rare opportunity to demonstrate how tangible benefits to the environment can be realized through ecological restoration.”

Governor DeWine created H2Ohio in 2019 as a comprehensive, data-driven approach to combatting algal blooms, enhancing water quality, and improving water infrastructure over the long term. H2Ohio was launched with support from the Ohio General Assembly, which invested in the program in Ohio’s two most recent operating budgets. H2Ohio operates in partnership between the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Department of Agriculture, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and the Ohio Lake Erie Commission. The initiative focuses on encouraging agricultural best management practices, restoring and enhancing wetlands, upgrading outdated water infrastructure, and replacing lead pipes. For more information on the H2Ohio initiative, please visit h2.ohio.gov.

ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.

 

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