Maumee
Bay State Park Wetland Restoration Plan
Maumee Bay
is one of Ohio's
premier recreational destinations. It is an attraction for swimming, boating,
fishing, and wildlife preserves. The safe use of Maumee
Bay and beaches, especially at Maumee Bay State Park,
is often impaired by fecal contamination of recreational waters from a variety
of sources.
When
Escherichia coli (E. coli) levels exceed the state standard, beach managers
at Maumee Bay State Park
may post the beach with a beach advisory. Not only is this a loss to visitors
of the area, it also may result in a loss to the local and state economy. From
1999-2007, the Lake Erie beaches were posted
an average of 14 days out of each 100-day bathing season.
The
Maumee Bay Bacteria Task Force was formed in 1995 to identify the causes of these
high bacterial counts. The Task Force is an inter-agency committee that includes
the Toledo/Lucas County Health Department, the City of Toledo, the City of Oregon,
the University of Toledo, Ohio DNR, US Geological Survey, and TMACOG.
Minutes
from October 22, 2007 Project Management Team Meeting
Minutes
from December 6, 2007 Project Management Team Meeting
Click on image above for a PDF
Maumee
Bay Bacteria Task Force members have conducted a series of studies to answer these
questions. Recent studies include:
Wolf
Creek Study, 2003 Link:
Wolf Creek
flows through Northwood, Oregon,
and Jerusalem Township. It becomes Berger Ditch and
flows north into Maumee Bay at the Maumee Bay
State Park boat basin. The
mouth of Berger Ditch is a few hundred yards east of the park's Lake Erie beaches. This study was conducted by UT Lake
Erie Center and TMACOG investigated sediment bacterial levels in Wolf Creek/Berger
Ditch. The study evaluated whether the stream sediments harbored high concentrations
of bacteria that are washed out into the bay during storm events.
Maumee
Bay Bacteria Study 2003-2005
Summary
Full Report
There
are many sources of E. coli bacteria entering Maumee Bay.
Which have a significant impact on bacteria levels at the Maumee Bay State Park
Lake Erie beaches? This study was conducted by the UT Lake Erie Center, US Geological
Survey, and TMACOG, with support from the Cities of Oregon and Toledo.
Maumee Bay State
Park Wetland Restoration Plan 2006-7
With the
Wolf Creek/Berger Ditch watershed identified as a principal source of E. coli
impacting the park's Lake Erie beaches, the Maumee
Bay Bacteria Task Force is working to develop control measures. The goal is to
provide safe bathing at the Lake Erie beaches by preventing bacteria from Wolf
Creek from reaching the beaches.
This project is being conducted by UT Lake Erie Center and TMACOG under Project
Management Team. The goals are:
- Develop a conceptual plan for wetland
system to protect the beaches from contamination by pathogens
- Design conceptual
wetlands plan to the greatest extent practicable, to provide natural habitat,
and eco-tourism, complementing facilities and public access at Maumee Bay State Park.
The
Project Management Team selected Hull & Associates as the consultant
for this project. Click on the text below to download the project documents.
Project
Scope
RFP
notice and consultant selection methodology
Project
Management Team operating procedures
Maumee
Bay State Park Public Meeting October 2, 2007
A
public meeting was held at the Maumee
Bay State Park
lodge to present the wetland restoration project to residents and stakeholders,
and ask for input. Presentations included a recap of previous studies that led
to the wetland restoration plan, a discussion of how wetland systems can control
bacteria, and a presentation of potential wetland system design scenarios that
could be used at Maumee Bay
State Park. Presentations
from the meeting are available by clicking the links below:
Maumee
Bay State Park Bacteria Issues and Project Overview
Kurt Erichsen, TMACOG
Wetlands
for Controlling Bacteria
Dr. Daryl Dwyer, UT Lake
Erie Center
Wetland
System Scenarios for Maumee
Bay State Park
Hull & Associates
The
draft report, incorporating public comments, has been completed.
Click on
the link below to download the report.
NEW
Maumee Bay State Park Wetland Restoration December 2007
| Large download (6mb)
Contact:
Kurt Erichsen, P.E.
Vice
President of Environmental Planning
300 Dr Martin Luther King Dr
Toledo,
OH 43604
419.241.9155
