The Maumee AOC 2024 Annual Report is here! We’ve removed another BUI, expanded our outreach and education through the MAAC, and continue making solid progress on all the Management Action Projects. And with the spring weather warming up, things are really starting to pick up in the Maumee AOC! Read it here! A physical copy of the 2024 Annual Report is not currently available, so we encourage you to share the PDF link with peers, stakeholders, and anyone interested in the accomplishments within the Maumee AOC.

2024 was a busy year for the Maumee AOC! We could go on and on about all the progress, completed projects, and groundbreaking that happened this year, but for now we’ll share some of the highlights.✨

MAPs and BUIs

• BUI 7: Restrictions on Dredging Activities was removed!
• Started construction for the largest known habitat restoration investment in the Maumee River: Clark Island and Delaware/Horseshoe Islands Water Quality & Habitat Improvement Projects.
• Management Action Projects:
  •  Over 80 MAPs plus 20 GLLA cost-share projects
  • >$96M in projects funded since 2018
  •  $45M in MAPs are currently in progress
    • WildMAPs – 19 of 20 projects complete
    • AquaMAPs – 23 of 54-56 projects complete
    • SedMAPs – 3 of 8 projects complete
    • MiscMAPs – 1 of 1 project complete

Public Involvement and Outreach

• Chosen as the AOC to host the 2025 Great Lakes Areas of Concern Conference!
• Brought together a MAAC subcommittee for Environmental Justice/Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Took part in several community outreach events, such as:
  • Inaugural Maritime Career Day hosted by the National Museum of the Great Lakes
  • 50^th Anniversary Celebration for the Maumee Scenic River Designation
  • Live Stake Harvesting with TPS Students for the Hill Ditch Restoration

• The MAAC maintained a robust social media presence throughout the year on Twitter / X and Facebook.
  •  Facebook reach (the number of unique users who see our content or page) increased by 254.5% and followers increased by 136.4%.
• The 2023 Annual Report was published.

The Ohio EPA and Partners for Clean Streams invite passionate individuals to apply for the Maumee AOC Advisory Committee (MAAC). Find the application here.

If you’re committed to enhancing our region’s ecosystem health, we encourage you to get involved. MAAC advises state and federal partners on key projects to improve the Maumee Area of Concern (AOC) and represents community voices.

In the coming year, MAAC will work with the Ohio AOC Program to assess and address Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs), raise awareness and increasing participation in communities facing higher environmental burdens, assist with the development and implementation of management action projects (MAPs) and assist with the 2025 Great Lakes AOC Conference. We play a vital role in engaging the community and ensuring public input in restoration efforts.

To apply for voting membership, please review the Expectations and Considerations for MAAC members on page 2 of the application packet. Non-voting Ex Officio and Resource Members can express their interest via email without a formal application. Submit your application form and any required letters of support by midnight Tuesday, November 12, 2024 to:

MAAC Member Application
c/o Partners for Clean Streams
via email to: [email protected]

Join us in making a difference for the Maumee AOC!

The Maumee Area of Concern and surrounding waterways are making progress towards their restoration goals thanks to recent developments. BUI 7: Restrictions on Dredging Activities has now been approved for removal from the list after acceptance from US EPA and the Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO)!

This is the fourth of ten beneficial use impairments (BUIs) impacting local waterways in the Maumee AOC that has been addressed. Due to recently dredged sediment being deemed clean for beneficial use, we are one step closer to delisting the Maumee AOC. Read the acceptance letter here.

The Toledo Shipping Channel, the most heavily dredged in the Great Lakes due to its shallow depth, contributes sediment that is now being utilized for various projects, including tree growth at Glass City Metropark and research at Bowling Green State University.

The ongoing improvements in restoring the AOC and eliminating BUIs are the result of efforts by local stakeholders, organizations, and state and federal AOC programs. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!

The full Removal Recommendation document can be found here, or by visiting the Resources page of https://maumeeaoc.org/.

Starting in 2021, a stream restoration project was developed for Lathrop Park located in Berkey, Ohio. The proposed work for this project includes restoration of 0.75 acres of riparian buffer, stabilization of 600 feet of eroding streambank, creation/enhancement of 165 feet of riffle habitat, restoring a riffle-pool sequence across the site, and enhancing in-stream habitat with locked logs, rock, and native plantings. These efforts are to address BUI 6: Degradation of Benthos and BUI 14a: Loss of Fish Habitat.

Grant funding for this project was awarded through US EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to Ohio EPA. Partners for Clean Streams (PCS) was subawarded funding from Ohio EPA to assist in the engineering, design, and implementation of this project. As of April 2024, Katarina Kieffer has been appointed the new project lead for PCS as former Executive Director of PCS, Kris Patterson, has transitioned to a new role with the Ohio Lake Erie Commission.

PCS hired the Davey Resource Group (DRG) to collect data/survey the existing conditions, develop a final engineered design and obtain permits. All of which has been completed. Moving forward, DRG will be working with The Stanger Group to get construction underway during the summer of 2024. An initial round of tree and woody material removal was completed in March, as well as fact sheets and project FAQs mailed to Village of Berkey residents to inform them on the important work being done to the area. Invasive species control is also expected to be completed this Spring. The restoration elements of this project will enhance fish and benthic habitat by increasing stream shading, diversifying habitat elements, adding and enhancing riffle habitat, and by reducing bank erosion and subsequent siltation and embeddedness of stream substrate.

For more information, visit the Data Management & Delisting System (DMDS) page for this project: Stream Restoration at Lathrop Park (MAP HTC -12.2).

The Hill Ditch Restoration at Toledo Natural Science Technology Center project is nearly complete! These efforts focused on creating instream and floodplain habitat for fish and benthos by stabilizing streambanks against erosion, targeting BUI 6 and BUI 14a.

This site is utilized by Toledo Public Schools and their Natural Science Technology Center (NSTC) as an outdoor lab for their students. On March 25, 2024, the students of the NSTC took part in a live stake harvesting event where they collected over 500 willow and dogwood stakes. The stakes were then installed on March 28^th at the project site. These stakes will aid in the stabilization of the bank and create improved habitat for the aquatic species that live in this stream.

April showers have put the new additions and restoration efforts to the test, but everything is holding up well! Outdoor lab activities conducted by the school have been able to take place again, and the NSCT students are able to see their hard work in action.

The beginning stages of construction for the Clark Island and Delaware/Horseshoe Islands restoration projects are underway! Construction of the first temporary construction causeway began on January 8, 2024. Construction groundbreaking celebration events were held on January 23 that included a media event with speakers followed by an open community reception. The community has demonstrated their interest and support for these projects throughout every phase of the project and team members estimate that around 90 people attended the groundbreaking events.

Mark Haynes Construction was selected by the Port Authority to be the construction contractor for both projects. State and federal funds totaling $13.5 million are dedicated to efforts to improve and restore the 63+ acres for this set of islands. This is the largest known habitat restoration investment in the Maumee River. At the state level, ODNR dedicated $8.146 million through the H2Ohio Program to design and construct portions of this project. Federal contributions from U.S. EPA through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) provided $5.4 million for design and construction activities. Though funding is coming from separate sources, the integrated and complementary projects will restore and positively impact the islands and surrounding areas. Leading the efforts are Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and the City of Toledo, with input from ODNR and Ohio EPA, and additional support from the Maumee Area of Concern (AOC) Advisory Committee (MAAC).

The GLRI-funded activities will improve habitat for fish and benthos, as this is the primary focus of the management action project. The restoration will span across an improvement area of approximately 50 acres on the Delaware/Horseshoe Islands. Within this 50-acre footprint are 12 acres of regraded and enhanced wetlands and 29 acres where phragmites will be managed. Alongside the wetlands area, features of the GLRI-AOC project will also include Rock Barrier Reef/Vegetated Stone Sill, Cove Improvements, Open Water Enhancements, and Invasive Species Management. A portion of the original island footprint will be restored, thus improving habitat for fish, aquatic organisms, and upland wildlife that call the Maumee River their home. The planned barrier reef and sill will allow for calmer, open water habitat that will also help protect the area from boat wakes, river flows and ice scour. Since water levels of the river can vary, the proposed cove improvements will be contoured to accommodate shifting water levels and habitat needs. Other bottom substrate, along with wood/rock installments, will further enhance fish and macroinvertebrate habitat.

Plans for the H2Ohio-funded activities will primarily focus on nutrient reduction through sediment settlement and plant uptake. This project will occur across approximately 13.6 acres in the downstream portion of Delaware/Horseshoe Islands and Clark Island in its entirety. Of the 13.6 acres enhanced in this project, 6.9 acres are wetlands, which is just over half of the area. In addition to the wetland area, the H2Ohio project features will also include an Open Backwater Area, Island Revetment, Inner Channel Reef, and Breakwater/Backwater Islands. To create an ideal area for sediment deposition, the contractor will establish an interior, protected open water area and install a rock revetment to better protect the improved area from harsh river conditions. Other installments in this area will include stone and wood structures as well as small islands that will provide habitat for the native wildlife while contributing to a slower flow of water to encourage sediment settlement.

Overall water quality and habitat improvements will result from these integrated projects. Not only is there a planned reduction in sedimentation and nutrient loading, PCS and MAAC members are also excited for what this means for river inhabitants. Fish, benthos, and other plant and animal communities should now have improved conditions to thrive in their soon-to-be upgraded habitats thanks to the installation of various improvements that include wood/rock structures. Improvements will provide important protection to reduce further island erosion. Boaters, paddlers, anglers, and community members will have improved conditions to enjoy this section of the river thanks to these efforts that promote ecological resilience and that will establish a sustainable future for these islands and the surrounding areas in our beautiful Maumee River.

One of the fundamental pieces of improving Beneficial Use Impairments is locating and addressing significant chemical contamination in the sediments in the waterways of the Area of Concern (AOC). Those chemicals of concern in the sediments are often from historical industrial contamination of the past. In the Maumee AOC, there is ongoing Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA) projects to identify, quantify, and decide how to address pockets of those contaminated sediments. Those areas have been identified in lower Swan Creek, lower Maumee River mainstem, and an additional pocket in the Ottawa River. The lower Ottawa River and lower Otter Creek already had sediment removal completed.

These legacy sediment contamination projects take many years, from initial sampling to “moving mud” to complete. The next phase of the work for Swan Creek will be publicly releasing a Feasibility Study and pre-Remedial Design. The report is expected in the late spring, and a public meeting will be held to discuss it.

(Via Ohio Lake Erie Commission) Conditions in the Maumee Area of Concern (AOC), one of the largest AOCs in the eight Great Lakes states, have vastly improved over the last 30 years, bringing the Maumee AOC one step closer to full restoration. These improved conditions are a result of reducing sources of oil, grease, and trash through cleanups of contaminated streams. U.S. EPA will remove the “Degradation of Aesthetics” Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI), referring to the appearance or odor of a body of water, which can have significant effects on local communities.

The removal of this BUI was requested by the Ohio Lake Erie Commission (OLEC) and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) earlier this year. BUIs identify specific problems that can prevent a body of water from meeting its water quality conditions.

“We are pleased U.S. EPA has declared another beneficial use impairment can be removed from the Maumee AOC,” said Mike Pniewski, Maumee AOC Advisory Committee chair. “The removal is the result of the significant teamwork of project partners, restoration advocates, local governments, Ohio EPA, and U.S. EPA. We look forward to the continued work from all our stakeholders in the future delisting of the Maumee AOC.”

“It’s exciting to see the State of Ohio and the local AOC partners making progress to address the historic pollution in the Maumee River watershed. All communities deserve clean and safe water,” said Joy Mulinex, Executive Director of the Ohio Lake Erie Commission. “Thanks to continuing support from the U.S. EPA, we will continue to undertake restoration projects to move closer to delisting the Maumee River as an Area of Concern.”

In 1990, the Maumee AOC Advisory Committee identified 10 BUIs that needed to be addressed. With the removal of the aesthetics impairment, now three BUI’s have been addressed including “added costs to agriculture or industry,” and “restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption” BUIs. These beneficial use impairments have been removed because of restoration goals being met across the 787 square mile AOC which includes several watersheds draining to Lake Erie.

In May 2023, OLEC and Ohio EPA invited public comments as part of the removal recommendation process. A response to the public comments is provided in the final BUI removal recommendation along with a letter of support by the Maumee AOC Advisory Committee. OLEC and Ohio EPA will continue to work toward the removal of the remaining BUIs with local AOC partners. As each BUI removal goal is met, OLEC, in partnership with Ohio EPA, will notify the community to seek public input and submit additional BUI removal recommendations to U.S. EPA.

Photo Credit: Bryce Blair Jr, via Removal Recommendation for Degradation of Aesthetics Beneficial Use Impairment in the Maumee AOC

The Ohio Lake Erie Commission and Ohio EPA are recommending the removal of BUI 11, Degradation of Aesthetics, in the Maumee Area of Concern. At the May MAAC meeting, the Committee will be asked for concurrence with the recommendation before it moves to US EPA and the International Joint Commission for approval. A public comment period will take place in May, so watch Maumee AOC social media for an announcement.

The Ohio Lake Erie Commission and Ohio EPA made this recommendation because the conditions in previously impaired Maumee AOC waterways now meet restoration criteria. This means that the Maumee AOC has addressed previously observed ongoing occurrences of sludge deposits, oil sheens, scum and other objectionable materials; specifically, materials that produce color, odor, or other nuisances.

BUI 11 is the third beneficial use impairment to be recommended for removal among the initial 10 BUIs identified as impaired in the Maumee AOC. The first was BUI 1: Added Costs to Agriculture or Industry (removed in 2015) and the second was BUI 1: Restrictions on Fish and Wildlife Consumption (removed in 2022.)

Maumee Bay State Park is a 1,336-acre public recreation area on the shores of Lake Erie. In 2021, work began on the park’s inland lake swimming beach to address BUI 10: Beach Closings. Persistent, elevated fecal indicator bacteria frequently cause this beach to have an advisory posted against it being used for recreation. Studies showed the majority of this bacteria to be from waterfowl feces. The goal of this project is to deter nuisance waterfowl from using this beach and the other areas surrounding the inland lake through habitat modifications. This is the only management action remaining to address BUI 10 within the Maumee AOC.

Project objectives include stabilizing 850 feet of shoreline and planting 21 acres of pollinator and native grasses. Replacing turf grass with native plants will creatie a visual and physical barrier between the main lake shore and the inland swimming beach, to deter waterfowl from congregating.

Lowering bacteria from waterfowl feces on the beach reduces the likelihood of beach closings, increasing recreational opportunities for park visitors. This spring, project work continues with planting seed and controlling invasives.

To learn more about the status and trends for BUI 10, use the DMDS to view bacterial postings and algal toxin postings by year. The DMDS also has charts tracking Maumee Bay State Park beach advisory days per year.

This project is also featured in Beach and Wetland Improvements at Maumee Bay State Park on www.maumeeaoc.org.

Hill Ditch Restoration at Toledo Natural Science Technology Center: This project focuses on creating instream and floodplain habitat for fish and benthos by stabilizing streambanks against erosion.