We are in the process of revamping our Contractors List and want to hear from you!
If you are a contractor, we would love to add you to our listing. If you are a Clermont County resident, let us know what contractors have been hard for you to find and we can start the process for you! The Contractors List registration form can be found at www.clermontswcd.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2020/06/contractor-list-survey-form.pdf.
The Williamsburg Off-Channel Wetland project, located along the East Fork Little Miami River, ~12 miles upstream of Harsha Lake, was completed this summer by the dedicated partners listed below. The project began after the low-head dam was removed (2018) and a 3-acre drinking water reservoir was left behind in a 15-acre wooded floodplain. “When our watershed partners asked us to consider turning the reservoir into a wetland, we were excited to take another step forward to help local water conservation efforts,” said Mayor Mary Ann Lefker.
Clermont SWCD and the Clermont County OEQ worked with partners to assess the site. Recognizing the unique opportunity for a demonstration site upstream of a major lake, the partners and multiple funding sources allowed us to create an enhanced wetland design that provided habitat and water quality benefits, including the installation of high frequency water quality monitoring equipment.
To create as much water storage as possible, approximately 34,000 cubic yards of sediment was excavated from the floodplain and the reservoir. This improved the river-floodplain connection and allowed water to flow two ways through the system. An average rain event directs water into an inlet channel connected to the reservoir through an underdrain. Two wintering holes were dug along this path to provide habitat throughout the seasons. Within the reservoir, water meanders along a path to an outlet on the southern berm. The outlet pipe was sized and fitted with a flap gate to slowly release water into a meandering 2,000 foot floodplain channel nicknamed “the gut.”
During larger storm events, excess water can bypass the reservoir and flow directly onto the floodplain. The entire system was constructed with minimal slope to slow and store water, and remove pollutants before water re-enters the river. The water monitoring equipment tracks water flow and measures the amount of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and sediment removed from the river. The monitoring is a key component and partner agencies will study the data to understand how constructed wetland systems can help protect water resources, like Harsha Lake.
Special Thanks to all our Project Partners: Village of Williamsburg, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Duke Energy Foundation, Friends of Reservoirs/National Fish Habitat Partnership, Ohio EPA, U.S. EPA/ORD, Ohio State University and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources/H2Ohio Program.
By Clermont County Office of Environmental Quality
Every year nearly 8 million tons of leaves end up buried in landfills across the United States. Due to a lack of oxygen, those leaves are unable to decompose quickly and instead release methane gas. However, when fallen leaves are left in your yard they can decompose faster and leave behind organic matter that greatly enhances soil health. Leaves are full of nutrients that will make your lawn thrive, including potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. While ditches, driveway culverts, and storm drains still need to be kept clear of leaves and other debris to prevent flooding, wildlife and lawn experts agree that when it comes to your lawn it is usually better to skip the raking and bagging and leave those leaves in place!
Chopping up blankets of leaves with a lawn mower may be necessary to thin out the material and break the leaves down quickly. This is important because thick layers of leaves left on your lawn blocks out the sunlight which is needed for photosynthesis. Excess leaves can be raked around trees and shrubs in 3 – 6 inch deep piles or into a landscape bed or garden and used for mulch. Combining fallen leaves with grass clippings and other organic green material can also produce nutrient-rich compost.
Visit the Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District’s website at www.OEQ.net to learn more about home composting and other yard waste disposal options in Clermont County.
We are welcoming back our summer intern, Abigail Frazer, through an AmeriCorps Watershed Technician position. Abigail graduated this past spring from UC Clermont with an associate’s in environmental studies and plans to continue her education in the future by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies in the upcoming years. In the meantime, she wishes to focus her time getting acquainted with different career opportunities in the field she obtained her degree in. Abigail has always been fond of the outdoors, which inspired her to pursue her environmental studies degree. When she isn’t out hiking and enjoying the great outdoors, she enjoys painting at home and spending time with family, friends, and their pets. Last summer, Abigail assisted the district with various projects, including a personal project where she catalogued the status of various rain gardens the district has helped create over the years — we are happy to welcome her back.
Hi everyone! My name is Mariah Denzik and I’m happy to join Brown and Clermont Natural Resources Conservation Service as a Natural Resource Specialist. I began my career with USDA with the Farm Service Agency in August of 2021 and recently made the jump to NRCS in October. I’ve always enjoyed being outdoors and graduated from Ohio University with a B.A in Environmental Biology and a certificate in Environmental Sustainability. After graduation, I moved to North Carolina where I participated in wetland surveys on Camp Lejeune and taught various science lab courses at a community college. When I made my way back to Ohio, I worked with the Adams County Health Department as an Environmental Health Specialist while gaining an M.S. in Biological Sciences online with Clemson University. My time outside of work is spent going on various adventures with my son, Emerson and our three-legged dog, Charlie.
In the election held September 14, Dave Anspach (left) was re-elected to his 7th term, and Tim Rose (right) was re-elected for a second term on the Soil and Water Conservation District’s Board of Supervisors. Both of their terms will begin January 1, 2024 and run through 2027. Congratulations Dave and Tim and thank you for serving your conservation district!
This year the district added a new award, the Volunteer of the Year, to our other two annual awards, the Cooperator of the Year and the Educator of the Year. This was in part due to all the amazing work our Volunteer of the Year, Stacey Creamer put in to rehabbing the Agricultural Service Center’s rain garden. After completing the Master Rain Gardener course, Stacy put in 88 hours through the Ohio Volunteer Certified Naturalists program (OVCN) to increase the functionality, and the beauty of the rain garden – allowing it to be enjoyed by all those that stop by our office for a visit! (Photo at right: Stacey Creamer pictured with Commissioner David Painter).
We also recognized the Clermont County Park District Naturalists as our Educators of the Year. The park naturalists have significantly expanded their educational programming this past year and offer a wide range of conservation themed programs. The district has had the pleasure to partner with the Park District this year on several programs such as the development of the Landowner Conservation Series (which will be coming back in the new year). Additionally, they lead the Clermont County Volunteer Program which is a collaboration between the Park District and Clermont SWCD. We look forward to continuing to grow our partnership with the Parks in the years to come! (Pictured at left: Clermont Park District Naturalists with Ohio State Rep. Jean Schmidt)
Last, but certainly not least we awarded the Village of Williamsburg (below) with the Cooperator of the Year award. Throughout this past year we have received outstanding support from the village during our construction and development of the Williamsburg off-channel wetland project.
Hello, my name is Jacob Lynch and I am the new Urban Technician for Clermont SWCD. I grew up in Hilliard, Ohio and have been living in the Loveland area for almost 3 years. I have an associate’s degree in Natural Resources Law Enforcement from Hocking College and a B.S. in Wildlife Management as well as a minor in Conservation Ecology from West Virginia University. I previously worked for The Ohio Department of Agriculture and before that I worked in construction up in Columbus as well several parks in the Central Ohio area (State and County level). In my free time you can find me camping, hiking or planning for the years hunting seasons. I look forward to working with the communities of Clermont County and being a part of Clermont SWCD.
Throughout the year, Clermont SWCD receives numerous calls from residents with concerns about water issues, some of which we can help out with, such as drainage or erosion issues on private property, and some are the responsibility of other organizations, such as cleaning up a roadside ditch. For people who are experiencing problems with erosion, drainage, sewers or other water-related issues, Clermont SWCD has created a guide to help identify the best organization to contact, which can be downloaded here. If after consulting with the guide you are still unsure about who to contact, please give us a call at 513-732-7075 ext. 2
