Public hearing set for Ten Mile Creek modification project

The Ten Mile Creek running through Highland Meadows runs like a raging river due to several days of rain.

A project to dredge and clear debris from part of Ten Mile Creek and “enhance” both its floodwater retention and its ecological habitat will be the subject of a public hearing Tuesday afternoon in Toledo.

As part of the stream modifications planned by the Lucas County Engineer’s Office, an embankment mound is to be built along the creek’s south bank to support a future extension of the University/Parks Trail between Silica and Centennial roads.

The trail’s current western terminus is at King Road. An extension along former railroad right-of-way between King and Silica is currently under design. Its planning and construction are expected to cost about $285,000, including a $214,000 Clean Ohio Trails Fund grant.

The Ten Mile Creek project involves about 1.64 miles of the creek from a point about 650 feet west of Herr Road to a point about 1,400 feet south of Sylvania Avenue, all in Sylvania Township. Work will include ditch construction to create flatter side banks and benches to expand its capacity for retaining flood water.

Vernal pools and rock riffles will be added as needed to create habitat for fish and other stream life, according to a statement from the engineer’s office, while the floodwater retention will alter nearby flood-plain mapping so as to remove 20 houses and 10 businesses from the official hazard area for 100-year floods. A 100-year flood is one that occurs, on average, once every 100 years.

The project also aims to reduce sediment and phosphorus loads in the creek, a tributary to the Ottawa River. The river flows into Lake Erie’s western basin. Phosphorus from agricultural fertilizer is a nutrient for toxic algal blooms that have plagued the lake’s western end during recent summers.

The public hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Board of County Commissioners’ assembly room at One Government Center in downtown Toledo.

Ronald Myers, the county’s traffic operations engineer, said all adjoining property owners have been notified about the hearing.

“I’m not aware that this office has received any objections from adjacent project owners,” which are all businesses, Mr. Myers said.

Copies of project-related documents are on file in the county engineer’s office at 1049 S. McCord Rd., Holland, and may be inspected during that agency’s normal business hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

Contact David Patch at dpatch@theblade.com or 419-724-6094.