6 counties plan project to clear Auglaize River

8/22/2011

LIMA -- Hoping to reduce flooding and encourage recreation, officials in six counties are planning a $1 million project to clear logjams from a 76-mile stretch of the Auglaize River in northwest Ohio.

The stretch collects water from an area of about 216,000 acres owned by about 12,000 property owners. Funding is to come from assessments of $1 to $10 per acre on those property owners in Allen, Auglaize, Mercer, Putnam, Shelby, and Van Wert counties, the Lima News reported.

Dan Ellerbrock of the Allen Soil and Water Conversation District said the river has blockages from end to end and the project needs to be done now. He hopes work can begin next summer.