2022 Year In Review

Highlights:

• BUI 1, Restrictions on Fish and Wildlife Consumption, was removed!
• Management Action Projects:
  • AquaMAPs – 32 of 35 projects are funded and several projects are underway.
  • SedMAPs – 3 of 8 projects are fully funded, while the remaining 5 are partially funded. The 3 funded projects are completed as of November 2022.
  • WildMAPs – All 21 of 21 projects are funded, and 14 projects have been completed as of November 2022.

Outreach:

• Wood County Library presentation on Maumee AOC Overview
• 2021 Annual Report
• New Aquatic Projects Page launched
• All Sediments Project Pages updated
• Three new management action project website highlights/rack cards:
  • Prairie Ditch Restoration at Secor Metropark
  • Wolf Creek Restoration at Oregon Recreational Complex
  • Fox Property Restoration Unit
• Maintained a robust social media presence throughout the year.
  • Posted more than twice as many times on Facebook in 2022 than 2021
  • Posted 1.5 times as much on Twitter in 2022 than 2021

MAAC Voting Member Applications Open for 2023-24

The MAAC is currently seeking applications for committee membership for 2023-24. Voting member positions are currently open for all categories, and the public citizen/academic/nonprofit field has a current vacancy. There is no limit to the number of non-voting (resource) member seats. Voting members serve for two-year terms, while non-voting members are appointed each year based on expressed interest. This year, the committee is especially interested in adding more community members to the MAAC!

Voting member applications are available at maumeeaoc.org/get-involved. The application deadline is Sunday, December 18th, 2022. Non-voting members do NOT need to complete the application. They only need to send an email to Cherie Blair (Ohio EPA) or Kris Patterson (Partners for Clean Streams) indicating their interest and for which level of involvement (ex-officio or resource member). The time and your ability to represent your respective agency should be approved per your agency’s internal process. 

The committee wants to make sure the Maumee AOC has a strong and representative voice, so all interested individuals are encouraged to apply. The members of the MAAC will play an important role in guiding the future course of the activities in the AOC. Some of the key activities for 2023 include:

• Work with Ohio EPA to determine any BUIs that are meeting their restoration targets and remove them;
• Continue to evaluate conditions, status, and needs utilizing recently collected data;
• Continue to develop strategically located projects that will lead most directly to BUI removal in the lower Ottawa River;
• Continue to monitor and assist with development and implementation of management action projects (MAPs).

PCS invites you and your agency to be involved in improving the Maumee AOC as either a Voting, Ex-officio or Resource Member of the MAAC. As you consider this, please see the details regarding each of these positions here.

Thank you for considering this opportunity. We look forward to hearing from you by December 18!

Clark Island and Delaware/Horseshoe Islands Restoration

The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, City of Toledo, and the Maumee AOC Advisory Committee (MAAC), with significant input from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA), are leading planning efforts to help improve water quality and aquatic habitat while helping to restore and protect Clark Island and Delaware/Horseshoe Islands. These islands are in the Maumee River near Walbridge Park and are owned by the City of Toledo.

Planned Project Benefits Reduced sedimentation and nutrient loading in Maumee River and Lake Erie and resulting water quality improvements Improved habitat for fish, benthos (organisms that live on and near the river bottom), and other species Protected and enhanced island and shoreline habitat Reducing further island erosion Creating resilience in ecological systems to withstand higher and more variable river flows Protecting existing park and recreational boating infrastructure

The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority recently received funding from the H2Ohio program and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to complete engineering, design, and permit preparation activities for work at and near the islands. Plans for H2Ohio-funded activities are focused on nutrient reduction through sediment settlement and plant uptake. GLRI-funded planning activities are focused on improving habitat for fish and benthos (small organisms that live on the river bottom). Island habitat in the Maumee River is particularly important for the prosperity of fish and benthos.

Engineering and design activities are being completed under the direction of the collaborating agencies and are led by engineers and scientists at Verdantas (fka Hull & Associates, LLC), with input from several specialists, including modeling experts at LimnoTech and biologists at the University of Toledo. Plans for the Delaware/Horseshoe Islands advance the preliminary design prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2021-2022. These designs incorporated significant stakeholder input from earlier public outreach.

H2Ohio-funded engineering, design, and permit preparation activities are planned for completion in December 2022; GLRI-funded plans are anticipated to be finished in spring 2023. If work is recommended to proceed by the project partners based on final plan details, cost estimates, and stakeholder feedback, construction could begin as early 2023 or 2024, pending secured permits and construction funding.

 

September Open House

Please join us at a public open house to see draft designs and to provide input for plans intended to help improve water quality and aquatic habitat while helping to restore and protect Clark Island and Delaware/Horseshoe Islands.

Tuesday, September 20, 2022
4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Walbridge Park Picnic Pavilion
2761 Broadway St., Toledo

We hope you can attend anytime between 4:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to learn more about these exciting projects in the Maumee River and to provide your thoughts for the design team’s consideration. For more information about these projects or this event, please call or email Jenny Carter-Cornell, APR, (567) 200-4355 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We hope to see you at Walbridge Park!

Note: If you can’t make the open house but are interested in seeing the draft design details and discussing project plans, please contact Jenny.

Tenmile Creek NPS-IS Available for Comment

Partners for Clean Streams has been updating watershed plans throughout the Maumee AOC. They need your input to help identify water resource projects in the Tenmile Creek area, such as eroding streambanks or spots in need of habitat restoration. 

The Tenmile Creek HUC-12 NPS-IS is ready for feedback and input. View and download the PDF here. Please reach out with any new projects in this watershed. You can email your feedback to the consultant, Deanna Bobak, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..