Reifsnyder Wetland

What is a storm water wetland? The City of Canton knows and has demonstrated a wonderful project to put nature back where it belongs. Earth Action Partnership was invited to help...

Situated in a narrow corridor of green space between residential neighborhoods and a small industrial district lies a 46 acre city park with the Middle Branch of the Nimishillen Creek running through it. Storm drain pipes measuring 36" in diameter stick out of the banks all along the creek draining many acres of developed land. The creek flows fast, floods often, and has poor habitat with limited animal diversity. The park used to be a natural wetland before being filled in to create a soccer field and large open grassy areas. Now, the park is largely unused by the public except by local residents. No sporting events have been held there for years and the Canton City Park Dept. has been regularly mowing the open areas for many years

The EPA has measured elevated levels of nitrogen in the water several miles downstream from the park. They have given Canton a mandate to reduce the nitrogen to an acceptable level. Officials in Canton looked at their options and decided to change the way storm water drains into the creek. Storm water from paved surfaces and residential lawns carry pollutants directly to the creek, which destroys habitat and pollutes the water. The nitrogen in your lawn fertilizer will also fertilize the creek and stimulate algae to grow. If storm water were first directed into a wetland before entering the free flowing creek, the pollutants and nitrogen would be removed naturally.

The City of Canton funded a model project to do just that.

September/October 2003 - Contractors excavated the ground where the first upstream drain pipe flushed directly into the creek and shortened the pipe so it would drain into a holding bay instead. They then excavated an area of ground down to the original wetland soils and contoured the land into two holding bays with a series of S curves connecting them. The soil that was removed was piled up to create an elevated planting area for grasses and trees. The entire site was planted with a mixture of prairie grasses and wetland tolerant bushes and flowers. Mowing will be limited to allow the prairie plants to grow naturally, which helps with the maintenance budget for the park dept.

Canton then provided a project grant to EAP to purchase and plant 60 native Ohio wetland trees. A group of volunteers joined us in October 2003 to plant all the trees. As part of the grant we received from Canton, we also received a contribution from Spectrum Products, Inc. of Raleigh NC for 60 TreeGator Drip Irrigation Bags that will be placed on the trees and filled with water during dry spells. So far in 2004, we have had more than enough rain and the bags have not been used, but we stand ready to place them on the trees as the summer turns dry.

Below is a series of pictures that demonstrate how the storm water wetland works.

Storm water enters the first bay from this large drain pipe and immediately slows down which allows pollutants and sediment to drop out to the bottom. The pipe originally was underground and emptied directly into the stream several hundred feet to the left.

The cleaner water then flows gently through a meandering wetland channel covering about one acre of ground. The water flows from right to left in the photo. The channels are planted with wetland grasses and plants which, when established, will help to further clean the water. The white tree wraps are protecting the new wetland trees planted in October 2003.

The channel ends at the last bay where the water level is controlled by a structure at the far end. Even though the term "wetland" applies to this area, the water can evaporate to expose the muddy channel. This is a normal occurrence that is very beneficial to animals. The exposed mud flats contain a rich soup of insects that attract birds which keep bug populations under control.

This pipe is what allows the wetland water to flow out of the bay and into the Nimishillen Creek. The covered box in the ground contains the mechanism to control the water level in the last bay. The pipe goes under ground and exits in the next picture.

This is the outlet end of the pipe that connects the wetland to the creek. Notice the creek water flowing from right to left at a higher velocity than the wetland water flowing into it. This is what we hope to achieve by draining water into a wetland before it goes to the creek. The slow entry of cleaner wetland water does not disrupt the existing habitat of the creek. If every storm drain outlet were designed to drain into a wetland our creeks would be healthier and safer for people and animals.

This south facing view is from the hill overlooking the new wetland. This picture was taken in April 2004. The Nimishillen Creek flows through the trees on the right. A railroad track is on the left and far in the distance to the left is the bridge on Rt. 62 that spans the creek as it flows south. Not only will the new wetland help clean storm water, but it will also serve as a flood reservoir during times of heavy rain. Flood water that used to flush directly to the creek will now be directed into the wetland where it can be stored. Our county needs hundreds more of these wetlands to store flood water.

We want to thank the City of Canton for funding a project that demonstrates a responsible way to deal with storm water. We were honored to be a part of this project and to have received a grant from Canton to buy and plant the trees.