Ohio provides funds to restore the Sunday Creek Watershed

By: Rosie Wong
Posted on: Friday, October 11, 2024

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TRIMBLE, Ohio (WOUB) — A local community development organization received $120,000 to reverse environmental damage to parts of the Sunday Creek Watershed caused by abandoned coal mines.  

Rural Action will use the funds for riparian and floodplain restoration at the Sunday Creek Watershed, which is contaminated by acid mine drainage that impacts water quality and wildlife habitat.

Cleaning up the stream has been on Rural Action’s agenda for over 30 years with the goal of returning the area to its natural habitat. 

“Currently, as you can see, it’s almost just a cut field, kind of like an old hay field,” said Nate Schlater, senior director of ecological restoration for Rural Action. But he said it doesn’t have to stay this way.  

“We’re going to bring (the community) over here to enjoy this site and come out and learn about native species and learn about what a flood plain should look like when it’s healthy,” he said. 

To achieve this goal, Schlater said Rural Action is looking to remove the invasive species and restore native species at the Sunday Creek site. According to the organization’s modeling, he said, this restoration project will be able to prevent about 306 pounds of nitrogen per year, about 94 pounds of phosphorus, and about 71 tons of sediment, helping reduce flooding and fix erosion problems. 

Jen Bowman, director of environmental programs at Ohio University, said a crucial part of the project is to create a riparian corridor, the area between the river and what people use the land for, for natural filtration purposes.  

“Whenever we see a section of the floodplain next to our streams that is barren or doesn’t have much vegetation, planting species of trees and shrubs in that area will make your streams and your rivers healthier,” she said. 

She said native species like swamp white oaks, bold cypress and river birch planted along the stream can filter out pollutants or sediments that can endanger aquatic organisms by clogging up their gills. It would also improve human lives, as people can benefit from a restored water stream where they can swim and fish.  

The funding for the Sunday Creek restoration project comes from the H2Ohio program, which is allocating over $7 million for statewide water quality improvement. The project will bring volunteers on board to install 3,000 trees at this site in 2026.