The University of Toledo is advancing efforts to improve water quality in the Ottawa River with a campus wetland restoration project at the Center for Alumni and Donor Engagement.
UToledo President Gregory Postel joined representatives from UToledo’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the University of Toledo Foundation and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to break ground on the CADE Wetlands Restoration Project on Monday.
UToledo President Gregory Postel joined representatives from UToledo’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the University of Toledo Foundation and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to break ground on the CADE Wetlands Restoration Project on Monday.
Funded with a $2.3 million grant from Ohio’s H2Ohio program, which the Ohio legislature enacted in 2019 to strategically address serious water issues across the state, the CADE Wetlands Restoration Project will create a wetlands ecosystem that will reduce nutrient runoff into the Ottawa River and western basin of Lake Erie.
“H2Ohio is an important and ambitious initiative, and we are pleased to take an active role by dedicating a part of our campus to wetland restoration,” UToledo President Gregory Postel said. “The CADE Wetlands Restoration Project strengthens our commitment to research that protects and improves water quality in northwest Ohio.”
“Restoring these stream channels will harness the power of the wetlands’ natural filtration system,” ODNR Director Mary Mertz said. “This project demonstrates the true value of H2Ohio, where we can jump in and take action to keep Lake Erie and its tributaries clean.”
Water quality is a major research focus at UToledo, where multidisciplinary researchers with the UToledo Water Task Force have been working with local and state agencies since the drinking water crisis in Toledo in 2014. UToledo’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics also has been actively growing its wetlands ecology program in the Department of Environmental Sciences.
“The CADE Wetlands Restoration Project truly increases our visibility locally and statewide regarding the University’s efforts to combat this global issue,” said Marc Seigar, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
The project calls for approximately 14 acres of restored wetland throughout the campus of CADE, which is located at 4510 Dorr St., Toledo. Crews will create an additional 12 acres of associated upland and riparian habitat. The total regional acreage impacted by this new wetland is estimated at 8,000 acres. Resource Environmental Solutions (RES) is the ecological restoration company contracted to complete the project.
A second phase of the project includes a boardwalk, a viewing pavilion and an educational building or gazebo that would support programming for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
The H2Ohio funds do not cover this second phase, so community support is needed through the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Fund for Water Quality, supporting research, scholarship and community engagement on this important topic.
“The project is one of many that exemplifies how The University of Toledo is living our mission of improving the human condition,” said Brittanie Kuhr, the UToledo Foundation director of development for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. “The restoration of this land will not only aid in the improvement of our region’s water, but also provides an opportunity for advancing this critical area of research, which impacts every Toledoan. At the end of the day, anyone who drinks water should join us in celebrating the University’s commitment to water quality research and scholarship.”
To support UToledo’s work on improving our region’s water quality, consider making a gift by visiting the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Fund for Water Quality website.
