Owner/Client
Rural Action
Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)
Location
Muskingum County, OH
CEC Services
- Ecological Restoration Design
- Water Resources Engineering
- Environmental Permitting & Regulatory Coordination
- Cultural Resource Management
- Archaeological Investigations
- LiDAR Mapping & Topographic Surveying
- Construction Engineering Support
- Construction Quality Assurance (CQA)
- Native Habitat Restoration
Owner Objective
Rural Action and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Parks and Watercraft launched the Dillon Reservoir Wetland Treatment Train Project to address harmful algal blooms by reducing nutrient loading and improving water quality in Dillon Reservoir. Through the H2Ohio program, the project converted land previously used for agricultural production within the Dillon Wildlife Area into treatment wetlands and restored floodplain habitat designed to filter runoff, improve water quality, restore natural water-storage functions, and enhance wildlife habitat. The project also sought to reconnect floodplain processes and establish long-term ecological resilience throughout the Dillon Wildlife Area.
Approach
CEC led a design-build team that managed the project from conceptual design through construction implementation and planting. The project was implemented on land owned by the U.S. Federal Government and leased to ODNR for wildlife management and agricultural production. Early in the project, CEC coordinated the restoration effort across 18 private, federal, state, and nonprofit stakeholders and established routine agency stakeholder meetings to guide coordination throughout the life of the project. This process helped identify Clean Water Act Section 404/401 permitting, cultural and tribal coordination, USACE Real Estate approval, and the retirement of ODOT wetland mitigation as critical steps needed to accomplish the restoration project.
CEC navigated complex Clean Water Act coordination, including jurisdictional authority at the state and federal levels, Nationwide Permit issuance, state 401 General Conditions, and the release of future rights for ODOT compensatory mitigation use within the Wildlife Management Area. CEC also supported cultural resource coordination through Phase I and Phase II archaeological investigations, magnetometer surveys, State Historic Preservation Office approval, Archaeological Resources Protection Act permit issuance, tribal coordination with 46 Native American Tribes, and mitigation solutions documented through Memorandums of Agreement. In parallel, CEC coordinated USACE Real Estate approvals, including easements to operate on federally owned land, assessment and release of unused ODOT mitigation on flowage easement storage volume, and approval for the project to operate within flowage easement storage volume.
Restoration activities included constructing treatment wetlands, reconnecting floodplain habitats, and establishing native vegetation across approximately 98 acres within the Dillon Wildlife Area. Construction oversight and documentation helped verify that restoration features were installed as designed and supported the project’s environmental goals.
