Summit County Engineer rep outlines state of the Yellowcreek Watershed

by Laura Bednar

Oct. 24 board of trustees meeting

David Koontz, engineer project manager with the Summit County Engineer’s office and coordinator for the Surface Water Management District, gave an overview of the state of the Yellowcreek Watershed in Bath and drainage projects in the township.

He explained that the SWMD was created to function as a utility and charges single-family residential properties $48 a year and other properties $48 a year per 3,000 square feet of impervious surface area. These funds are used for studies, designs, construction and public outreach.

Residents will be billed for the SWMD via property tax bills beginning January 2023. Currently, revenue from Bath totals $600,000 with another $300,000 expected for each of the next two years. The $1.2 million will be used for projects in Bath Township.

Bath is classified as a “special district” and will remain so until 2024. In 2025, new countywide SWMD fees will be collected and Bath will no longer be designated as a special district. Koontz said the amount of the new fee is to be determined.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency updated the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit regulations in April 2021. The SWMD was expanded to all townships to take on the responsibilities of the new permits.

“Townships don’t have the ability to enforce illicit discharge and detection elimination to find the polluter [of stormwater],” said Koontz, citing one of the new responsibilities, which includes mapping the public drainage system.

He outlined ongoing and future projects in Bath. First is the Wye Road drainage improvement project, which is primarily in the Sanctuary of Bath subdivision and will enlarge the detention basin, mitigate flooding on two lots and reduce in-stream erosion.

The project was divided into two phases: The first expands the detention basin to add an additional five feet in depth. The $350,250 cost will be split between a grant and Bath’s SWMD fees 80/20. Construction is scheduled from spring to December 2023. The cost of Phase 2 is $385,800 and will be entirely covered by American Rescue Plan Act funds. Stream improvements in this phase are scheduled for fall of 2023 until fall of 2024.

The Idle Brook Bankfull Wetlands project within the Yellowcreek Watershed will re-establish the stream’s connection to adjacent flood plains, remove invasive species and reconstruct the wetlands with native plants, according to Koontz. The cost will be $1.5 million-$3 million and will be covered by ARPA funds. Koontz said the project will provide waterflow storage, reducing water velocity and erosion.

“It will overall reduce flooding,” he said.

The Ohio Department of Transportation is planning to add lanes on I-77 and expand a corridor between Ghent Road and the Ohio Turnpike, according to ODOT’s website. Koontz said ODOT plans to include 20 vegetated filter strips for roadway water runoff in Bath. He added that Summit County is not permitted to add a detention basin in an ODOT right-of-way and the SWMD is looking for opportunities to establish flood mitigation facilities downstream from the I-77 discharge points.

Stephanie Deibel, watershed coordinator for the Summit Soil and Water Conservation District, gave an overview of the Yellowcreek Watershed. The YCW is 31 square miles and extends into eight other communities. In 2022, seven volunteers took monthly samples of eight stream locations to monitor water quality. Next year, Deibel said she hopes to collaborate with the Cleveland Water Alliance to offer a framework for citizens to test the water themselves using a digital probe. The probe takes 10 minutes to use and tests factors like pH levels and conductivity.

Summit Soil is planning on creating a map to explain the parts of the watershed and what projects are happening. It also plans to offer tours during watershed projects. 2022 was the inaugural year for a watershed tour at Bath Nature Preserve.

A riparian guidebook is available through Summit Soil, and employees are in the process of creating a stream maintenance manual to prevent people like landscapers from polluting nearby streams.

Resident Brenda Borisuk-McShaffrey asked if there was a way to enforce the manual. Koontz said rules are enforced through the Surface Water Management District, and if violations are brought to the district’s attention once a developer begins, “They will be stopped if not in accordance with their permit.”

An advisory council will be formed for each watershed and Borisuk-McShaffrey asked if there were openings. Koontz said the SWMD advisory committee would have openings next year, and interested residents should check each township for availability.

In other news, the township administrator contract of Vito Sinopoli (who is also police chief) was renewed from January 2023 through December 2025. According to the contract, he will be paid $54.92 per hour for 2023 with a base salary increase identical to all other non-bargaining employees of Bath starting in 2024. Sinopoli has worked for the township for 36 years, starting as a police officer. He added the role of township administrator in 2013. ∞