Arcola Creek Headwaters Stream Restoration
The Arcola Creek Headwaters Stream Restoration project in Madison Village was completed on June 30th, 2017, the first restoration project to be completed as a result of the watershed planning initiative by Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and the endorsement of the Arcola Creek Watershed Action Plan by the Ohio EPA.
The project was a collaboration with Madison Village, the Lake County Stormwater Management Department, Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Chagrin River Watershed Partners.
This headwater stream flows through Fairview Memorial Park in Madison Village, joins the Arcola Creek mainstem, and flows into Lake Erie in Madison Township. Small headwater streams like this one impact the water quality of larger downstream creeks and lakes.
Prior to restoration, this stream was channelized and incised, causing flooding and sediment pollution downstream.
The restored stream now has meanders, connection to its floodplain, a vegetated riparian buffer and improved aquatic life habitat. These features slow the speed of the water and increase flood storage, which helps to decrease downstream flooding. Stabilizing the eroding streambanks removes a source of nutrients and sediment, which helps to improve the water quality in Arcola Creek and Lake Erie.
This stream restoration project was funded by a grant from the State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, under the provisions of Setion 319(h) of the Clean Water Act with matching funds from the Lake County Stormwater Management Department.
Since the completion of the project Lake County SWCD has conducted yearly macroinvertebrate monitoring with the Madison fifth grade Science Club as a way to assess the long-term success of the project and educate the public on the importance of restoring headwater streams. Madison Village maintenance staff have reported a dramatic reduction in occurrences of flooding downstream in the Village as well.
