Summit County, OH
- West Creek Conservancy
- Key Services Provided:
- Design-build Stream and Wetland Restoration
- Restoration Plantings
- Invasive Vegetation Management
- Project Duration: 2023
- Project Cost: $1,000,000.00
- Design Cost: $221,000.00
- Construction Cost: $779,000.00
Aerial view showing conversion of a golf course along a newly restored section of the Cuyahoga River, tributaries, and floodplain.
This H2Ohio Project was undertaken to restore the Riverwood Golf Course along the Cuyahoga River in Akron, Ohio, to its natural habitat. The goals of the project were to remove a berm that was created to keep the Cuyahoga River from flooding the golf course, daylight culverts to restore the headwater tributaries, create floodplain wetlands, reforest the riparian zone and modify existing golf course ponds.
A total of 3,625 linear feet of streams were constructed with bankfull elevations matching the existing topography. These elevations were key in connecting these newly created streams to their floodplains and 7.45 acres of wetland. The new streams connected to the Cuyahoga River become nursery habitat for juvenile fish and headwater species.
During the construction, approximately 3,250 linear feet of concrete debris and earth levees were removed along the river. Removing this material served as an important reconnection of the Cuyahoga River’s floodplain. Five riffle enhancements were also completed in the river by adding boulder clusters and wood to improve habitat diversity in this reach.
Prior to planting, all golf course grass was eradicated using a combination of spray drone and conventional tank spraying methods. These areas were then seeded with a custom floodplain or upland seed mix. Approximately 3,000 bare-root trees, 550 containerized trees of various sizes, and 2,800 live stakes were installed along the streams and throughout the wetlands.
