PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP —Several of the Ashtabula River’s many fish took a short vacation from the swiftly moving water Monday to pose as evidence of a thriving environment.
Northeast Ohio Scenic River Assistant Manager Matthew Smith and stream quality monitoring official Greg Marvin recruited several critters from the algae green river during a five-stop tour of the Ashtabula River watershed. The tour, which included local lawmakers and officials, was for the benefit of one person: Ohio Department of Natural Resources director Shawn Logan.
Marvin and Smith are working to convince Logan to designate the Ashtabula River as “scenic,” a classification that would protect the watershed and its inhabitants from development and pollution.
“With its good water quality and many species of aquatic organisms, the Ashtabula River, from an ecological standpoint, is one of the best streams in Ohio,” Smith said.
Using a fish tank full of rainbow darter fish, crayfish and a tiny mud puppy, Smith and Marvin discussed the stream quality monitoring program, which uses volunteers to observe water quality and animal population in the river.
The tour stopped at Green Hill Road, Dewey Road, Hadlock Ford, State Road and West 24th Street. Transportation was provided by Premier Transportation, which loaned the use of The Jolly Trolley.
Smith said the proposal to include the river as a scenic watershed is in the editing stages and will soon be submitted to Logan for review.
“Today is an opportunity to present the river to (Logan) as it is,” Smith said. “This is a great river and it is great because the people of Ashtabula County kept it that way through conservation and monitoring. A lot of work has gone into this river and its true beauty has to be seen firsthand.”
If the Ashtabula River is designated, Ashtabula County will have three scenic rivers.
Conneaut Creek and the Grand River are the other two.
If the river is designated, the ODNR would be able to exert authority over public improvement projects up to 1,000 feet of either side of the river in non-incorporated areas. These projects would include bridges, culverts and similar work that would affect water quality. However, the ODNR would not have review authority in municipalities. Scenic river designation does not result in loss of private-property rights.
“I think it is important to show people that everything is connected,” Smith said. “It is a matter of making people understand what is going on.”
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