Wetland projects get funding

SANDUSKY — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources awarded money for 150 new water quality projects on private property in the Lake Erie watershed, mostly to create new wetlands, the state agency said. The ODNR said it gave out more than $5 million for the projects, which consist of 133 wetlands projects (2,422 acres) and 17 riparian buffers (113 acres). The money was awarded as part of Gov. Mike DeWine H2Ohio initiative for improving water quality in Ohio. Many of the projects are near Sandusky. Ottawa County has 26, including 23 wetlands and three riparian buffers. Erie County has four projects, three wetlands and one riparian buffer. Sandusky County has six projects, four wetlands and two riparian buffers. Riparian buffers are vegetation at the edges of streams. Wetlands and riparian buffers both provide natural filters to eliminate pollutants in rain runoff that feed harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. Building new wetlands has been a major focus of DeWine's H2Ohio Initiative. State officials said the H2Ohio Water Quality Incentive Program (WQIP) began accepting funding applications in November from farmers and landowners willing to replace cropland with wetlands and riparian buffers. The H2Ohio Water Quality Incentive Program provides a one-time payment of $2,000 per acre for projects participating in the WQIP program. The program was offered in combination with the Lake Erie Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), a USDA conservation program. "By working with federal, state and local partners, we are empowering area producers and landowners with the tools that they need to apply a focused set of practices on their land," said John Wilson, Ohio Natural Resources Conservation Service acting state conservationist. "This complementary program approach will increase the footprint of wetlands on the landscape, accelerating efforts to improve water quality by preventing nutrients from entering Ohio streams and lakes," Wilson said.