Stream and Wetland Mitigation

Streams and wetlands provide flood control, erosion control, and water quality protection services to communities and landowners. Much of CRWP’s work focuses on encouraging members and landowners to develop in ways that maintain these services. Streams and wetlands in the watershed are, however, channelized, filled, and otherwise impacted by development and these impacts will continue. As a part of the permitting process mandated by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), developers may be required to complete compensatory mitigation for these impacts. Compensatory mitigation requires the protection, enhancement, or restoration of streams and wetlands commensurate with proposed impacts. Often this mitigation results in the protection or creation of wetlands and streams far from the original watershed and the net loss of flood control, erosion control, and water quality protection services to communities and landowners.

What is Mitigation?

Mitigation options vary based on the resource being impacted. Options for mitigation include restoration of a stream, wetland or lake habitat, enhancing an existing wetland, stream or lake habitat, or preserving a high quality stream, wetland, or lake habitat. Applicants for permits to impact water resources are encouraged to look for potential restoration opportunities before looking for enhancement or preservation opportunities. Stream mitigation may include bank stabilization using biotechnical erosion control techniques, riparian corridor protection or preservation, in-stream habitat enhancement, or re-establishment of flood plain areas. Lake mitigation may include enhancing fish habitat along the shore.

In addition to restoring or maintaining the functions of area streams, wetlands and lakes, mitigation offers many benefits to communities, including potential revenue generation on community owned properties and solutions to local stormwater management problems.

CRWP is currently identifying potential mitigation sites and establishing a mitigation bank (pre-authorized mitigation that sells stream or wetland credits to developers) to promote advancement of additional mitigation. For more information click here.