The future of the lower Olentangy River was the topic of discussion at a seminar held Wednesday at Ohio State’s Olentangy River Wetland Research Park.
In addition to an appearance by President E. Gordon Gee, the seminar featured representatives from organizations involved in the Olentangy-Scioto Ecosystem Corridor.
This project is aimed at developing and restoring the 8 1/2 miles of the river that stretches from the Wetland Research Park to the Grange Insurance Audubon Center south of downtown Columbus.
Jerry Tinianow has been riding his bike along this portion of the river with his wife and family for the past 20 years.
“I have a real feel for at least the lower part of the river and a real desire to see the waters protected and improved,” said Tinianow, the director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission.
One of the major plans included in the project is the removal of the Fifth Avenue dam. The dam was first constructed several years ago to help generate electricity for the power plant on the OSU campus. The power plant has since closed.
According to a 2009 annual report, the Wetland Research Park found that the removal of the dam would improve river ecology and provide a new 3-mile floodplain-greenway opportunity in the corridor.
Tinianow focused on the positive impact of the removal, as well.
“Dam removals are very exciting from the point of view of an environmentalist,” he said. “Typically what we see when you remove a dam is that the water quality above and below the dam improves.”
He also shared a sense of enthusiasm for the recreational opportunities that would result from the dam’s removal.
“It’s very exciting when we think about the possibility of restoring that whole long stretch of river into a navigable recreational waterway,” Tinianow said.
At the seminar, a platoon boat from the research park was on display outdoors. The park faces one obstacle in regard to the boat.
“It’s in search of a dock,” said Bill Mitsch, OSU director and professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Science.
For the past year, the OSU Civil Engineering Capstone Students have been working on designing “ecologically sensitive” boat docks for the research park. William Wolfe, a professor in the Civil Engineering Department, teaches the senior capstone design class.
Mitsch highlighted the opportunities that would be made available by the construction of boat docks at the research park.
“We could use them to get into the river, take classes out there, and for research and teaching,” he said. “That’s a more tangible goal we will begin as soon as we can find someone to donate the money.”
In addition to the proposed boat docks, the project also includes a plan for the construction of an Old Mill Coffee Shop near the docks.
In their presentation, the capstone students discussed their design for the self-sustainable coffee shop with wireless Internet access.
Another important aspect of the project is the development of a water trail along the river.
Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed, a nonprofit organization, has partnered with the city of Columbus to execute this plan. The group has led the construction of information centers at access sites for canoes and kayaks and has also begun developing warning signs at low head dams.
According to a winter 2010 newsletter, the Board of Directors’ goal at Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed is to make the river safe and accessible for paddlers at all levels of experience.
Heather Dean, the watershed coordinator for the organization, said she hopes that the developments can help people to come to appreciate and be more involved with the river.
“One of our goals has been to help people know the river more intimately,” Dean said. “The Olentangy River really is at the heart of our community.”
Gee concluded the event with words of encouragement for the ecological future of OSU.
“We can become one of the most ecologically sound universities in the country,” he said. “The ecology of the campus is really going to become the life of the campus.”
