Nearly 1.8 million in Great Lakes Funding headed to NE Ohio: including projects in Lake and Cuyahoga counties
Thursday, September 13, 2012
U.S. Rep. Steven C LaTourette (OH-14) said that U.S. EPA is
expected to award two Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants at
Great Lakes Week in Cleveland.
The two recipients are: Chagrin River Watershed Partners Inc.
and Ohio EPA.
LaTourette said the Chagrin River Watershed project, valued at
$770,250, will be used to install green infrastructure within the
Newell /Ward Creek watershed. This includes the parking lot
at Great Lakes Mall where impervious surface material will be
replaced with pervious concrete next to 32 stormwater catch basins
that already are in place at the 75-acre parking lot.
"This change alone will allow stormwater from 50% of the parking
lot to infiltrate into the ground rather than enter the storm sewer
system and prompt flooding," LaTourette said, noting that all the
stormwater from the catch basins and a series of pipes is now
funneled into a 72-inch pipe, causing flooding in an adjacent
apartment complex and city park.
He said the U.S. EPA believes it will reduce contaminants
discharged into the watershed, including an estimated reduction of
309 tons/year of sediment, 611 lbs/year of nitrogen, and 303
lbs/year of phosphorus. This portion of the green infrastructure
grant will be about $350,000.
The remaining funding from the $770,250 grant will fund a
collaborative stormwater management improvement project involving
Eastlake, Mentor and Willoughby.
The Ohio EPA grant, valued at $996,902, will be used for surface
water improvement efforts in Cuyahoga County. According to
U.S EPA, the "project will accelerate local implementation of
"green" stormwater control practices within Cuyahoga County,
including ten pervious pavement demonstrations, twelve
bio-retention cells, two rain water harvesting demonstrations, 2000
square feet of community rain gardens, 21,000 square feet of
vegetative bio-swales, and restoration and enhancement of two
wetlands. The project also includes demonstrations of stream
and wetland restoration methods "