The city received $1 million from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and an additional $400,000 through H2Ohio to fund the improvements.
TOLEDO, Ohio — The City of Toledo is investing in both recreation and environmental protection with a $1.4 million project at Detwiler Park Golf Course in north Toledo aimed at reducing flooding and improving water quality.
Construction is underway at the course as part of a broader effort to restore natural water flow, limit runoff and create new wildlife habitat. The city received $1 million from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and an additional $400,000 through H2Ohio to fund the improvements.
Crews are reshaping sections of the course by adding berms, drainage areas and natural stream features designed to slow water movement and allow it to soak into the ground.
“We are at our implementation phase, so the construction phase of this project,” said LaShawna Weeks, senior environmental specialist with the City of Toledo.
Weeks said the upgrades are designed to capture surface runoff before it enters nearby waterways, helping reduce the amount of nutrients that ultimately reach Lake Erie.
“That area is going to collect water, surface runoff, and then allow that water to infiltrate before it enters into the stream,” said Weeks.
City officials say the project goes beyond preventing runoff from entering the lake.
In addition to improving water quality, the project is expected to enhance habitat for fish and other aquatic life while improving the course’s appearance and playability by reducing flooding and erosion.
“I really like these projects — because of the environmental benefit, but it allows us to give back to the community, to the people who use this golf course,” said Weeks. “It allows them to have a more aesthetic golf course and have that environmental benefit, so we coexist with our environment.”
Construction began earlier this year and is expected to wrap up by late spring, with some planting work continuing afterward.