Aurora Rain Garden

The City of Aurora was awarded a $2,000 Member Community Stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP) Grant to install a rain garden next to the Walker Building, home of the Parks and Recreation Department. The rain garden houses almost 100 native perennial plants and serves as a demonstration project to the community on practices that residents can do to reduce the amount of stormwater that leaves their property. This project broke ground and was completed in spring 2012.

Bedford Heights Rain Garden

The City of Bedford Heights received $2,000 from the Member Community Stormwater Best Management Practices Grant to install a rain garden in Reed Park. The placement of this rain garden will drain stormwater from a nearby parking lot and walking path. This 400-square-foot rain garden was built by community volunteers in conjunction with the Bedford Heights Service Department using 10 cubic yards of soil, 3 cubic yards of mulch, 109 native perennial plants, and 3 native shrubs. This garden houses plants that include Dallas blue switchgrass, spotted joe pye weed, black-eyed Susan, blue flag iris, autumn joy sedum, fox sedge, and serviceberry. In 2012, the city held a rain garden workshop to further educate residents about the benefits of rain gardens for the community.

Oakwood Village

Oakwood Village was awarded $1,965 from the Member Community Stormwater Best Management Practices Grant to install a rain garden at the Community Park to help drain stormwater from half of the park’s pavilion rooftop. Community volunteers including the Oakwood Youth Council, two council members, and the Village Department Staff came together to construct the garden. This 240-square-foot rain garden contains 104 native perennial plants and can soak up 22,000 gallons of stormwater each year. Oakwood Village also held a rain garden workshop in 2012.

Laurel Creek Restoration Project in Twinsburg

An American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant valued at $729,990 was awarded to restore 2,500 feet of stream by removing a low head dam to allow flood management, recreation, and fish passage. The two-phase project was completed as of December 31, 2011 with an additional live stake planting completed in March 2012. The first monitoring report was submitted to U.S. Army Corps of Engineer February 2012.

In 2012, drought and other unfavorable conditions were found to produce low survival rates in trees. Almost 90% of the trees planted in 2011 did not survive, so other funding had to be secured to purchase and plant more trees at this site. In 2013, 0.3 acre was replanted with 40 trees and shrubs provided by the Cuyahoga River Community Planting Organization and funding by TCWP to ensure the restoration project would function as intended.

Bear Creek Restoration Project in Warrensville Heights

Using $1.1 million from the ARRA and the Ohio Water Resource Restoration Sponsorship Program (WRRSP), this project entailed restoring 2,000 linear feet of stream and creating an outdoor education lab for Warrensville City Schools.  Engineering oversight was provided by NEORSD.  Construction for this project was completed in December 2011, plantings were completed in April 2012, and monitoring began in February 2012.

Hudson High School Stream Restoration and Land Lab

Funded by U.S. EPA 319 grant of $682,758 ($329,208 Federal dollars, $250,000 match from the city of Hudson, $88,700 match from Hudson High School, and $13,000 match from Cuyahoga County Board of Health), this project restored 1,720 linear feet of stream with adjoining meadow, shrub, forested areas, and wetlands areas as well as created a 6.28-acre conservation easement on the project site. Construction commenced in June 2012 and was completed in October 2012.