Penn 7: The restoration of a former confined disposal facility in the heart of Toledo provides quality habitat for area fish and wildlife and improves water quality.
PROJECT LOCATION:
The 59-acre Penn 7 project site is located in Toledo, Ohio, on the lower Maumee River near its mouth into Lake Erie. The site was previously a confined disposal facility that accepted sediment dredged from the Maumee River shipping channel in the late 1960s-early 1970s. Penn 7 sits along a section of the Maumee River where shorelines are predominantly lined with metal walls and where floodplain wetland habitat is almost non-existent.
PROJECT BENEFITS:
Due to the high amount of urban development along the lower Maumee River, much of the original fish and wildlife habitat has been lost. This restoration project will:
- Provide quality spawning and nursery space for over 40 species of Lake Erie fish;
- Provide quality habitat for native birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and river bottom communities;
- Provide important migratory stopover space for many bird species; and
- Improve water quality and the overall environmental health of this area.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES:
- Improve and maintain approximately 59 acres of terrestrial and aquatic habitat to address a Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) in the Maumee Area of Concern through the creation/restoration of:
- 5 acres of submerged and emergent wetlands
- 5 acres of coastal wetlands/open water habitat
- 20+ acres of upland habitat;
- Reduce suspended sediments/nutrient concentrations of stormwater that flows into the restored habitat to improve water quality; and
- Control invasive plant species while promoting native species.
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES:
- To connect the upstream portion of the site with the Maumee River, a water control structure will be installed within the existing dike.
- To allow river water to flow to and through the new wetland habitat, sediment will be excavated and recontoured in the upstream portion of the site.
- A channel will be excavated to connect the new upstream wetland to the existing downstream embayment where habitat enhancements will be installed.
- To protect/enhance the embayment, a dike with a water control and fish passage structure will be installed between it and the Maumee River.
PROJECT LINKS:
PROJECT PARTNERS:
This project is funded by a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative award that is supported by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and the Great Lakes Commission Regional Partnership through a subcontract to the City of Toledo. The engaged project management team also includes Ohio EPA and ODNR Division of Wildlife.
