In celebration of the Olentangy Watershed Alliance’s 20th Anniversary this year, we have organized a volunteer fish habitat assembling effort. OWA will be working with the Army Corps of Engineers to assemble porcupine crib fish habitat that will be placed into the Delaware Lake once finished.
Delaware Lake, Delaware State Park (source)
Sunday, April 28th, from 9-noon at 3920 U.S. Highway 23 N. Delaware, OH 43015.
In celebration of the Olentangy Watershed Alliance’s 20th Anniversary this year, we have organized a volunteer fish habitat assembling effort. OWA will be working with the Army Corps of Engineers to assemble porcupine crib fish habitat that will be placed into the Delaware Lake once finished.
Please RSVP to olentangyriverwatershed@gmail.com
Flyer below: Click for PDF
Students and faculty have been working a project to implement a storm drain net in the Delaware Run on campus. The purpose of the net will be to remove trash and green waste/debris from the Delaware Run behind Merrick on campus.
Beginning in the Fall of 2018, Janelle Valdinger, Dr. John Krygier and I (Brianna Graber) have been cohesively working a project to implement a storm drain net in the Delaware Run, on OWU’s campus. The purpose of this project will be for Summer Science Research through Ohio Wesleyan University and for an internship with the City of Delaware. The purpose of the net will be to remove trash and green waste/debris from the Delaware Run behind Merrick on campus.
   
Branch Rickey Rain Garden (Bio-retention) Development on OWU Campus
Participants: Janelle Valdinger (City of Delaware, OWU), Dr. John Krygier (OWU Geography & Environment & Sustainability), Brad Stanton (City of Delaware), Perry Mickley (City of Delaware), Department of Parks and Recreation (City of Delaware), Department of Engineering (City of Delaware), Carolyn Cicerichi (City of Delaware)
Contact: Janelle Valdinger (JValdinger@delawareohio.net), John Krygier (jbkrygier@owu.edu)
This rain garden project is the outcome of an Environment & Sustainability program student project, in collaboration with the campus Sustainability Task Force, OWU Buildings & Grounds, and the City of Delaware.
Ohio Wesleyan University was established in 1842, in one building (Elliot Hall). Elliot was built near a sulfur spring, which flowed into the Delaware Run, near the earliest settlements in the area (upper green oval, below) The proposed rain garden is located along an unnamed stream just south of the sulfur spring and Delaware Run. The stream was buried sometime in the early 1900s. The area was developed as an athletic field for Ohio Wesleyan shortly afterward. Branch Rickey Arena was built on the site in 1976.
What is a Bio-Retention Cell? MS4 Permit/Storm-water Project: The City of Delaware works diligently to keep waterways healthy. One way this is achieved is through compliance with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agencyâs (OEPA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Program. The City has a permit with the OEPA for stormwater discharges, which are generated by runoff from land and impervious surfaces such as parking lots and rooftops. This bio-retention cell helps keep the City in compliance with its permit by treating stormwater pollutants before they reach streams, rivers, and other waterways.
Rain gardens are designed and developed to improve water quality in nearby bodies of water to ensure rainwater becomes available for plants as groundwater rather than being sent through storm-water drains out to local tributaries. Rain gardens have the ability to reduce the amount of pollution reaching nearby streams and rivers by 30%. The purpose of this project is to design and implement two rain gardens located on the north side of Branch Rickey Arena/Gordon Field House.
Two storm basins have were located and inspected by the City of Delaware Department of Public Utilities as approved project sites. Two planning meetings took place with the Department of Engineering, Department of Parks and Recreation, and management to determine the design, layout, plant requirements, grading requirements, and labor needed for the said project. Calculations were made to determine the exact design layout.
A quote from the City Arborist placed a $12,500 price tag on this project, and the funding was from a City of Delaware grant. OSU Landscape Architecture graduate student Jonathan Stechschulte provided the excellent drawings of the project, which OWU’s administration required before moving forward with the project.
Maintenance after the project has been completed will be shared by OWUâs Buildings & Grounds as well as being part of a semester and summer internship (focused on watershed issues). Interns will monitor, maintain, and report on the rain gardens, along with assisting our Watershed Coordinator and Department of Public Utilities employees with other tasks.
This project is part of a larger effort to create a more sustainable, and green infrastructure within the City of Delaware and especially on OWUâs campus. The possibility of this kind of project spreading to more locations on and around campus is high. Students can come back to this project year after year, choose a single storm basin or a collection of storm basins, create a design and implementation plan, and present it to the Department of Public Utilities. The Department of Public Utilities creates a capital improvement budget, along with a working budget every year to every five years, creating a constant allocation of funds for projects similar to this.
Building the bio-retention cell, Spring 2018:
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Two signs (above) describe the way bio-retention cells work, and the history of the location: a buried stream runs under/near both cells. See the old map of campus (above).
Photo source: Ohio EPA
Organized and Sponsored by:
Registration: There is no cost, and lunch is included. Pre-registration requested by Monday, October 1st. To register, please contact Erin Gibson at egibson@delcowater.com or 740-548-7746 ext. 2221.
Where:Â Ohio Wesleyan University
3rd floor of Merrick Hall: One building west of 50 South Henry St., Delaware 43015
*Parking in Selby Stadium Lot, 45 South Henry St.*
For the past 15 years, the Olentangy Watershed Forum has connected citizens and experts who wish to explore issues that impact the quality of life in the watershed. Please join us for state-of-the-watershed updates by the sponsors listed above along with Delaware Soil & Water Conservation District, the American Kayaking Association, and more! The cost to attend the Forum is free but registration is required. Seating is limited to 70, so walk-ins will be accommodated if space is available. Lunch will be provided. Participants can also expect a short walking tour to the proposed Delaware Run Restoration site.
8:00 – 9:00 Doors open for registration, coffee, and networking session
9:00 – 9:10 Welcome and Introduction – Caroline Cicerchi, City of Delaware
9:10 – 9:50 Delaware Soil & Water Conservation District, âBe the Change for Clean Waterâ
9:50 – 10:20 Heather Doherty, ODNR Scenic River Program, âCelebrating 50 Years of Ohio Scenic Riversâ10:20 – 10:35 BREAK
10:35 – 11:05 Dr. John Krygier, Ohio Wesleyan University, âDelaware Run Restoration Projectâ
11:05 – 11:45 Tour – Delaware Run restoration site
11:45 – 12:45 Lunch (included) and Networking
12:45 – 1:05 Jason Kentner, âVisioning for the Olentangy Watershedâ
1:05 – 2:25 State of the Watershed Updates
1:25 – 1:40 BREAK
Update from Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW) by Ryan Pilewski regarding the greenspace planning in the Olentangy. FLOW was formed as a non-profit 501(c)3 in August 1997. FLOWâs mission is to keep the Olentangy River and its tributaries clean and safe for all to enjoy, through public education, volunteer activities, and coordination with local decision-makers.
Update from Del-Co Water by Jeff Kauffman. Del-Co Water Company, Inc. was formed in 1969 and provides quality drinking water to seven counties (Delaware, Morrow, Marion, Knox, Franklin, Union, and Crawford) serving a population of over 140,000.
Update from Preservation Parks by Chris Roshon. The mission of Preservation Parks of Delaware County is to protect and conserve the natural and historic features of Delaware County and to inspire outdoor exploration and learning.
Update from City of Delaware and Olentangy Watershed Alliance (OWA) by Caroline Cicerchi. The City of Delaware works diligently to protect existing storwmater infrastructure as well as the Olentangy River and its tributaries through its Stormwater Management Plan. OWA was formed as a non-profit in April 1999, with a mission to work in partnership with agriculture, urban, and other local communities to understand, appreciate, and responsibly use the Olentangy River, its tributaries, and watershed.
2:25 – 2:45 Sami Spiezio, American Kayaking Association, âRecreational Opportunities on the Olentangyâ
2:45 – 3:15 Paul Freedman, City of Columbus, âColumbus Zoning Updatesâ
3:15 – 3:30 Eric Saas, Ohio EPA, âRush Run Monitoringâ
Presented by the Northwest Neighborhood Association and the Central Ohio Communities Project
Forward to anyone you think would be interested.
When: Sunday, September 23, 2018
Mostly hidden and invisible, Delaware Run weaves itself through the fabric of the city and is often overlooked. The walk will shed light on this important natural resource. Participants can choose to do a deep exploration of the run or shorter jaunts along its course. Local scientists and experts will lead our walks and will explore the history, ecology and geologic features of the stream scavenger hunt style. Water quality testing and a stream clean-up will also be done on both walks. After the walks, we will meet at the Boardman Arts Park for EarthDance, a Rivermen concert, and various activities. RSVP for this FREE event: DelawareNNA.org
1:00 pm – 2:20 pm: Long Walk (starting at Olentangy by Selby Stadium)
1:30-2:10 pm: Short Walk (starting at Hidden Valley Golf Course)
2:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Trash weighing and Bingo scoring, gnome creating,
various activities and tables, refreshments
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: EarthDance 2018
3:15 pm – 4:15 pm: Rivermen concert
4:30 pm: transportation back to cars offered
RSVP for this FREE event: DelawareNNA.org
PDF Poster here.
PDF Poster here.
Rain barrels have become increasingly popular. As a community, we can increase this popularity by making them more visually appealing. Businesses, organizations, and individuals have the opportunity to fund a rain barrel with an installation kit for $34. The cost includes sanding, washing, and priming each barrel before it is given for painting.
Since 2014, the City of Delaware has organized the Northern Olentangy Watershed (NOW) Festival that highlights our local, water resources. This summer, the 5th annual NOW Festival will take place on June 16th at Mingo Park (500 E. Lincoln Ave. Delaware, OH) from 12-3 p.m. As part of the festival, the annual rain barrel raffle will occur. Rain barrels provide many stormwater benefits including:
Rain barrels have become increasingly popular. As a community, we can increase this popularity by making them more visually appealing. Businesses, organizations, and individuals have the opportunity to fund a rain barrel with an installation kit for $34. The cost includes sanding, washing, and priming each barrel before it is given for painting. The barrels can be both sponsored and painted by the same entity, or a request can be made for a local art class to paint it. These barrels will be raffled off at the NOW Festival on June 16th at Mingo Park and proceeds will go to help support the Upper Olentangy River Watershed.
See form, below.
Payment must accompany the sponsorship requests. All rain barrel request forms must be received by Friday, April 13th by 4 p.m. The purchase of the rain barrel and kit is non-refundable.
Checks can be made out to âCity of Delaware, Public Utilitiesâ and mailed to:
City of Delaware Caroline Cicerchi, Watershed Coordinator 225 Cherry Street Delaware, Ohio 43015
There are a limited number of barrels available for this opportunity. Once that limit has been obtained or the deadline for ordering has been reached the barrels will be distributed to the appropriate painters. Local art programs in the community, including local schools, have been contacted about painting some of these barrels. If you are interested in utilizing one of these programs, please indicate so on the order form. There may be a limit to these programs, so each request will be accommodated on a first-come basis. You will be notified by email once the supplies are available for pickup or delivery. It is expected that the rain barrels will start to be delivered or available for pick up starting Monday, April 2nd as requests are received.
If you are painting the barrel yourself, please use outdoor acrylic paint (same paint that is bought for painting the outside of houses, outdoor fencing, etc.). The rain barrels will need to be decorated by May 31st. Once decorated, you can put them on display at your business either inside or outside leading up to the Northern Olentangy Watershed (NOW) Festival or, if preferred, they can be dropped off at the Wastewater Treatment Plant Facility for the City to put them on display.
All painted barrels will need to be delivered to the City of Delawareâs Wastewater Treatment Plant Facility (225 Cherry St., Delaware, OH) before 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13th.
Please consider participating in this fun event! The festival will be held at Mingo Park (500 E. Lincoln Ave., Delaware, Ohio) on June 16th from 12:00-3:00 p.m. Raffle ticket sales will begin at 12 p.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. with the winning ticket to be drawn shortly after.
Please contact Caroline Cicerchi, Watershed & Sustainability Coordinator, with any questions at 740-203-1905 or ccicerchi@delawareohio.net.
For the past 12 years, the Olentangy Watershed Forum has connected citizens and experts who wish to explore issues that impact the quality of life in the watershed. This yearâs agenda is filled with professionals who will speak on topics pertaining common sense approaches to keep the Olentangy Watershed healthy
12th Annual Olentangy Watershed Forum 2015:
Best Management Practices for a Healthy Olentangy River
When: Thursday, October 22nd, 2015 from 9am â 3:15pm. Doors open at 8am.
Where: Liberty Township Complex at 7761 Liberty Rd N. Powell 43065Â
OWU Students have attended this Forum in the past and had a great time. Please contact Krygier if you are interested in attending (and we can arrange transportation).
ORGANIZED AND SPONSORED BY:
For the past 12 years, the Olentangy Watershed Forum has connected citizens and experts who wish to explore issues that impact the quality of life in the watershed.
This yearâs agenda is filled with professionals who will speak on topics pertaining common sense approaches to keep the Olentangy Watershed healthy. Confirmed speakers include:
Plus reports from the Olentangy Watershed Coordinators, Del-Co Water and Preservation Parks.
After our networking sessions, we will host a walking tour of the Liberty Park Stormwater Best Management Practices.
This forum is for local residents, water resource professionals, township officials, landowners, and farmers who want to learn about water quality issues in the Olentangy Watershed and what effective planning strategies can be employed.
Come and get an update on all the initiatives in the Olentangy River. Why is this important? The river serves as our drinking water supply, provides recreational relief from the urban environment and is an essential link for wildlife survival. The more you know, the more you can help protect the Olentangy.
Forum Specifics: The cost to attend the Forum is free but registration is required. Seating is limited to 100, so walk-ins will be accommodated if space is available. Lunch will be provided.
Registration: Pre-registration requested by Monday, October 19th. For more information or to register, please contact Erin Thomas at ethomas@delcowater.com or 740-548-7746 ext 2221
Press Contact:Â Laura Fay, Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed, 614-580-2656
OWU’s Environmental Studies Program was awarded the 2014 Storm Water Pollution Prevention Award by the City of Delaware, Ohio.
OWU’s Environmental Studies Program was awarded the 2014 Storm Water Pollution Prevention Award by the City of Delaware, Ohio.
The City of Delaware strives to reduce pollutants and improve water quality in our community using several methods of outreach and clean-up events each year. This effort cannot be accomplished alone but with the help of community members, like Ohio Wesleyan University, our efforts have become successful. Each year the City of Delaware recognizes a local business or organization that demonstrates efforts of reducing pollutants and improving storm water through our MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) program. The City is pleased to announce that Ohio Wesleyan University and their environmental studies program has been selected as the 2014 Storm Water Pollution Prevention Award winner.
Efforts mentioned in the award include numerous organized stream and river cleanups, water quality grants and projects, a floating wetlands project, Water Week at OWU, and research and proposals for naturalizing the Delaware Run adjacent to campus.
The city of Delaware will use a $152,900 state grant to build three access sites to the Olentangy River this year. Two will be in Mingo Park and one on Cherry Street, south of the city-owned recycling buildings.
Image from “Olentangy River Restoration Efforts Improve Aquatic Life” from the USEPA.
Reblogged from the Columbus Dispatch (Thursday, January 29, 2015)
By Dean Narciso
DELAWARE, Ohio â Since Delawareâs early settlement more than 200 years ago, boats and canoes have been launched from its Olentangy River banks.
With the help of a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, there will now be a safer, easier method of entry than climbing over rocks and along crude paths.
The city will use a $152,900 state grant to build three access sites this year. Two will be in Mingo Park and one on Cherry Street, south of the city-owned recycling buildings.
The Mingo Park access will be on the parkâs north and south sides. The north site will include timber stairs and handrails leading to a boat-removal area.
The south site will have a paved parking area and a 55-foot paved path to a launch area.
The Cherry Street site will have a gravel parking lot and a 200-foot gravel trail to the river. That site is intended for both launching and boat removal.
Traffic to the sites will be helped by Preservation Parks of Delaware County, which plans to build an entry point at River Run Preserve, north of the city limits near Delaware Dam. Together, these projects will provide the public access to 7.5 miles of water trail.
âOpportunities for our recreational boating community will greatly increase because of these launch sites along the Olentangy River,â Delaware City Manager Tom Homan said in a news release. â Water trails join communities, provide scenic venues for recreation, increase health and well-being and create educational opportunities.â
Delaware spokesman Lee Yoakum said âthe river is not used as much as it could be because access is poor.â
The new facilities, to open around April 2016, should help the river become as important as the cityâs network of road and bike paths, Yoakum said.
âItâs truly the heart of the city. Itâs where Delaware began.â
In the Spring of 2014 a team of students followed up on an earlier student project focused on Delaware Run with the goal of exploring the potential to re-naturalize and restore the stream, possibly as part of a State of Ohio Stream Banking program.
In the Spring of 2014 a team of students followed up on an earlier student project focused on Delaware Run with the goal of exploring the potential to re-naturalize and restore the stream, possibly as part of a State of Ohio Stream Banking program.
May 2014
Ali Smith, Max Kerns, Zack Siefker, Wilson Taylor
During the spring semester 2014 the âStreams to Dreamsâ team decided the importance of building on the research gathered from the previous semester. To keep continuity we wanted to see this project evolve in a way where each semester was able to provide their fingerprint. This would allow for the project to continuously move forward and gain momentum as additional classes grappled with adding their perspectives and information to the project.
As we began to study the information from spring 2012 we also started to develop our own direction for where we wanted to help assist in this projects growth:
Our Project goals:
Additional research and analysis:
Soil Terminology:
Storm Water Credits:
OHIO:
DELAWARE:
Procedure:
The procedure for the Delaware Run restoration that we are going to do this semester was a small but large part of research and data collection that needs to be done. This research is important to have done before we can even start working on the Run. We are going to map out in AcrGIS the points of all of the trees in the affected area along with some soil samples.
What we are going to do for the tree data:
What we are going to do for the soil sample data:
What we are going to do with the collected data
With this data and the projected path we think that we are laying a great foundation for the research and projection that needs to be done before this project can break ground.
Results:
After collecting field data for all of the trees in the flood plain of the Delaware run, we placed the information into ArcGIS. The data was sorted by 3 different maps; A, B and C. The only trees we could identify were in the OWU arboretum but as a short term goal for future participates we would like to identify all trees within the area.
After collecting soil samples in five different locations, we were unable to tell if there was fill from the previous football field. We were able to clarify that this area is indeed a wetland and that our projected path will be inside the floodplain.
Our projection of the flood plain involves us moving three small arboretum trees to a different location on the floodplain. Because they are small they will transfer more easily then the larger arboretum tree on the cut bank of the projected path.
By mapping out all of the trees within the floodplain we were able to project a path that would involve the least destruction of natural habitat. The meander we added to the Delaware run emulates its original path in order to start the processes of de-channelization.
Maps:
Goals for Buildings and Grounds: (Excerpt from Peter Schantz E-Mail)
Delaware run maintenance issues to be considered during a renovation project
March 10, 2014
Short Term Goals:
River Clean Up (Still Not Complete, See 2013 fingerprint)
Buildings and Grounds wall restoration and removal:
Tree Identification:
2014 we mapped the trees next to the run, still need to determine tree types. Nancy Murray and David Johnson sent us information and will be able to help further identify these tree species.
Contacts: namurray@owu.edu dmjohnso@owu.edu
Material Sent: https://sites.owu.edu/delawarerun/?p=83&preview=true
Soil Samples:
We were able to begin the process of soil samples but our testing was mostly inconclusive. We were trying to determine if there was fill put down to level this area for the OWU practice field. We suggest further analysis to determine whether this was in fact leveled, by doing more soil samples.
Long Term Goals:
Time and resources allowing, the Delaware Run on Campus could become not only a healthy stream environment, but also an outdoor area for classes from the sciences to the philosophy to promote projects from species study to sound ecology. Eventually, provided it is the best option, the Run could even be dechannelized and restored to its previous state. (Fall 2013 team Pg. 5)
Continue the work on the area with hopes on actually moving the Run. We would like to see the run moved in such a way that it provides a more approachable nature scape and wet land research area. Due to the projection of the run we would like to see a nice over look platform for student to be able to relax and study next to this wonderful water feature on OWU campus.
This general idea is to provide both a platform and a retaining wall to prevent the run from meandering too much towards OWU campus. Idea:
Conclusion:
This project started out with a lot of moving parts, and could have easily become overwhelming. However, after a little bit of brainstorming and using the direction set from the previous group, we were able to figure out how we would include our fingerprint for the spring 2014 semester. During the project our group learned the many different parts of ArcGIS, including gathering and organizing the data so that it could be mapped. Our group contributed this semester to the Delaware Run project by mapping out the trees. Then we were able to project a new path where the run could be moved with the least amount of damage to the arboretum trees. We finished up by taking some preliminary soil samples and gathering all the data we received. This will hopefully give the next group a clear idea to what the next actions will be to further this project. This project has been a very good learning experience for our group because it helped us realize to take the project in smaller parts rather than taking on multiple parts at once. It was very enjoyable to work on this project in a group and push ourselves to exceed our expectation and achieve something we all feel very proud of.
Streams to Dreams Team Spring 2014 OWU:
L-R: Zachary Siefker, Ali Smith, Max Kerns, and Wilson Taylor
