EnviroScience is currently restoring 11 acres of wetlands and 420 LF of an intermittent stream on former agricultural land in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to mitigate impacts to wetlands and streams elsewhere in the Cuyahoga River watershed. The primary goal of the project is to restore wetland hydrology and to improve the morphology and function of a degraded stream on the site. Additionally, the project involves extensive revegetation and invasive species management. Project construction was completed in 2019, and bare-root trees and shrubs were planted in spring 2020. Despite its young age, the site is already showing a robust ecological response to the restoration activities.
Construction methods included the following:
- Breaking field tiles
- Grading to increase hydraulic retention time
- Controlling water discharging from the site
- Recreating microtopography lost through agricultural practices
- Designing a natural stream channel and installing proper riffle/pool morphology to arrest head cuts and channel incision within the stream
- Performing extensive reforestation and revegetation
- Managing invasive species
This project helps the National Park Service accomplish several key priorities, including the restoration of formerly impaired properties within the national park boundaries, the addition/restoration of wetland acreage within the park for habitat and water quality filtration purposes, and the restoration of streams within the park to improve aquatic habitat and water quality entering the Cuyahoga River. This project will serve as a model for future high-quality restoration activities within the park.
For information regarding wetland restoration and mitigation services, contact Neal Hess at .
