The Daily Standard
Story Archive
Specific areas of the Burntwood-Langenkamp treatment train are annotated. The Lake Facilities Authority owns the following 10 properties: Burntwood-Langenkamp Wetland Conservation Area, Southwest Greenspace Wetlands, Gilliland Nature Preserve Wetlands, Big/Little Chickasaw, Creek Wetlands/Stream Restoration, Auglaize County wetland, Northwood Lots and more recently the Rosenbeck Nature Preserve, Redwing Nature Preserve and Northshore Greenspace.
CELINA - The Lake Facilities Authority was created 11 years ago as the only state-recognized group of its kind focused on improving Grand Lake's water quality.
In that time, the board of directors - commissioners from Auglaize and Mercer counties - and Mercer County Agriculture and Natural Resource Director Theresa Dirksen established 10 projects with help from various state and federal grants.
The properties include Burntwood-Langenkamp Wetland Conservation Area, Southwest Greenspace Wetlands, Gilliland Nature Preserve Wetlands, Big/Little Chickasaw, Creek Wetlands/Stream Restoration, Auglaize County Wetland, Northwood Lots and more recently the Rosenbeck Nature Preserve, Northshore Greenspace and Redwing Nature Preserve.
LFA is a legal vehicle for local parties to seek additional state and federal grants, place levies on the ballot, receive land from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, sell anticipation and revenue bonds and own and operate algae-mitigation facilities.
Phosphorus-fueled green algal blooms have resulted in state-issued water advisories on the lake every year since 2009 and reportedly millions of dollars in lost tourism around the 13,500-acre lake.
The local watershed is the only one in the state designated as distressed due to unsafe algal toxin levels, a designation the watershed received in January 2011 after animals and humans were sickened by the toxins in 2010.
Nutrient runoff comes from many sources, but in the Grand Lake Watershed, studies show it's mostly from farmland in the 58,000-acre, livestock-heavy watershed.
The group works within the Grand Lake watershed, including all 15 affected political subdivisions. Those are Celina, St. Marys, Coldwater, Montezuma, St. Henry and Chickasaw; the townships of Granville, Marion, Butler, Franklin and Jefferson in Mercer County; and Jackson, German, St. Marys and Noble in Auglaize County.
The overall goal of LFA is to assist in getting all of the local and state stakeholders to work towards the improvement of Grand Lake, Dirksen said.
The group receives guidance on the projects from the Lake Restoration Commission, Dirksen added.
"The continued maintenance of all of these project sites will be a challenge to face well into the future, so we (LFA, LRC and ODNR) will have to look at funding opportunities and options for maintenance well into the future," she said. "From my perspective, that is a major goal."
Dirksen emphasized that the group's work thus far have been an undoubted success.
"The water quality improvements, documented with nutrient load reductions, has been huge," she said. "The increase in different types of habitat has improved wildlife diversity in the region. The opportunities for the public to enjoy these properties are something that did not exist 10 years ago. The increased development around the lake is also a great sign of improvement, as people are investing in property around Grand Lake St. Marys."
The Burntwood Langenkamp Wetland Conservation Area and Gilliland Nature Preserve are currently open to the public from sunrise to sunset daily, Dirksen said.
Southwest Greenspace, Little Chickasaw Creek, Rosenbeck Nature Preserve, Northshore Greenspace and Redwing Nature Preserve will eventually be open to the public once the projects are finished and good vegetation is established.
Northwood lots and Auglaize County Wetland are wooded wetland preservation projects and are not user-friendly, she concluded.
This property includes 88.9 acres and was purchased in 2021 utilizing Clean Ohio funds for about $1.1 million.
"Restoration of the site occurred in late 2021 into 2022 utilizing H2Ohio funds," Dirksen said. "The site has 30-40 acres of wetlands, 10 acres of reforestation and the remaining acreage is upland prairie habitat."
The public can find the entrance to Burntwood-Langenkamp south of 5181 Coldwater Creek Road, Celina, between Green and Younger roads.
The property includes 17.02 acres and was purchased in 2020 utilizing Clean Ohio funds.
Restoration of the site is nearly complete, Dirksen said.
"We started in April and should be finished within a couple of weeks," she said. "There is a 4-5 acre wetland and settling basin. Water will be pumped from Monroe Creek for treatment through the wetland before outletting to Grand Lake.
The funding for the project is part of a $1.7 million H2Ohio grant received for Mercer Wildlife Area, she added.
"Because we have such great local contractors, all of our projects have been under budget, allowing us to stretch that $1.7 million much further than originally anticipated."
The property is located near the intersection of US Route 127 and State Route 703.
This property is 16.32 acres and was purchased in 2020 utilizing Clean Ohio funds. Restoration of the site includes a 2-acre wetland, 1.5 acres of trees and 5 acres of upland habitat, with the remaining acreage being existing woodland.
"There is a short quarter-mile walking path on-site and (it) is accessible along Club Island Road," Dirksen said. "Ohio EPA Section 319 funds were received for the restoration work."
The property is located off Club Island Road near State Route 219 in Franklin Township.
This project consists of 30.88 acres which were purchased in 2020 utilizing a Clean Ohio grant. An additional adjacent 5 acres is also part of the project as well as some acreage owned by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
The estimated cost for the land was $720,000.
The Big Chickasaw wetland is about 6 acres and water will be pumped from the creek into the wetland at up to 500,000 gallons per day.
The Little Chickasaw Creek project consists of 4,000 lineal feet of stream restoration and around 10 acres of adjacent wetlands.
The remaining acreage is upland habitat and trees. The project will be completed by the end of 2024, Dirksen said. It will have signage after the grasses are established.
This area was acquired in 2023 using Clean Ohio Funds. It is 8.83 acres.
Plans call for the construction of 1-acre wetland, 2 miles of reforestation and the remaining will be grass. Construction is expected in late summer to early fall as the project was bid and awarded to VTF Excavation. Construction is being funded as part of the re-directed Mercer Wildlife Area project funds.
The property is located along the west side of Fleetfoot Road, roughly 0.3 miles north of State Route 219 in Coldwater.
This property was acquired in 2024 using Clean Ohio Funds. It is 10 acres.
Plans call for the construction of 4 acres of wetlands and the remaining will be grass. Construction is expected in late summer to early fall as the project was bid and awarded to VTF Excavation. Construction is being funded as part of the re-directed Mercer Wildlife Area project funds.
The property is located along the west side of Lake Acres Drive about 0.15 miles south of State Route 703.
This land acquisition was funded with Clean Ohio funds and the LFA closed on the parcel Friday for $490,000. The site is about 16.5 acres.
"We are working on plans, and potential funding for the site restoration/natural area development," Dirksen said.
Previously discussed plans for the property include stream restoration and constructed wetlands.
The property is on State Route 703.
This parcel is 6.036 acres and was acquired in 2019. It is an existing wooded wetland.
This location is 1.84 acres and was acquired in 2015. It is existing wooded wetlands.
