The Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District has received $153,000 from the Ohio Lake Erie Commission’s Lake Erie Communities and Coastal Resilience Grant to update Lake County’s 20-year-old coastal plan.
According to the district, the grant has enabled the county to address coastal erosion along the Lake Erie shoreline using nature-based solutions, “with a focus on underserved populations.”
Coastal erosion contributes large amounts of sediment to Lake Erie, and bluff erosion along the lakeshore threatens homes, businesses, and other community assets, noted Conservation Projects Coordinator Maurine Orndorff, adding that the plan has recently been completed.
An executive committee, with members from the district, Lake County Planning and Community Development, the Lake Development Authority and Chagrin River Watershed Partners, contracted with SmithGroup — a national firm with expertise in waterfronts, urban planning and landscape architecture — to create the Lake County Coastal Resilience Plan.
Additionally, the plan “characterized the 40.25 miles of shoreline in Lake County, assessed coastal vulnerabilities, developed a toolkit of resilient, nature-based practices and strategies, and created six concept plans that can be implemented with other grant funding sources and used as examples for additional projects along the coast.”
Officials noted that nature-based solutions use natural and nature-based habitats and processes to reduce coastal hazard risks and restore healthy ecosystems, rather than relying solely on human-engineered, hard materials like concrete and steel.
The solutions, the district added, provide resilience and stabilization, along with multiple economic, social and environmental benefits that concrete or rock structures do not offer.
Orndorff said the plan began with surveys of coastal communities to identify the needs and concerns of the public and community officials.
“The team visited potential sites to determine the highest-priority projects in five locations,” she added. “Conceptual plans were then developed for projects in Eastlake, Fairport Harbor, Madison Township and Perry Township, using a variety of techniques to serve as case studies for implementing the nature-based strategies.”
The plan illustrates conceptual plans for public areas and one for multiple private landowners working collaboratively, including design, engineering, permitting and construction, along with potential funding sources for each step.
“Implementation will be a multistep, long-term process,” Orndorff added, “but the plan to address erosion and sedimentation, using a coordinated approach with nature-based solutions, is the best first step toward a more stable, resilient and accessible coastline.”
The Lake County Coastal Resilience Plan will be presented to the public from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Perry Senior Center, 2800 Perry Park Road.