Plans are taking shape to clear logjams from 50 miles of two branches of the Portage River.
Wood County Engineer Ray Huber and Jim Carter of Wood County Soil and Water Conservation District
provided an update to the plan Tuesday, which has been in the works since a 2007 citizen petition to
address flooding caused by the river.
The drawings and specifications reviewed in a joint session between commissioners of Hancock and Wood
counties are about 90 percent complete, Huber said. They must still be finalized and sent for approval
by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ohio Department of Transportation.
Part of the project also lies in Fostoria and a portion of Seneca County.
The drawings and plans gave a physical presence to what appeared in February to be a slow-moving process
met with delays. Some of the petitioners and affected landowners present Tuesday expressed support for
the progress shown, and commissioners noted it’s important to keep pushing forward.
Officials hope to have a public hearing and approval in place by early 2015.
"It’s been a long time, and I’m very enlightened and glad to see that we have something in front of
us today," said commissioner Jim Carter.
"I’m pleased with what I’m seeing today. It is a long time coming, and I understand it takes
time," said Gary Harrison of Montgomery Township, one of the petitioners. "It is a big
project."
Still to be completed by the engineer’s office are the project assessments – determining who owns which
parcels that contribute water to the river. Huber said Wood County’s portion is nearly complete, but
remaining is Hancock County, which makes up about one-third of the project. There is also more to do in
Hancock County than there was in Wood County, as the watershed must be re-examined.
Huber called the assessments a "monumental task," as parcel splits and land sales make for a
moving target.
"That will probably take a good amount of time, because we basically have to start from scratch to
reconstruct the entire watershed in Hancock County. We know the outer borders, but we don’t know the
details of the inner tributary flows, and that is a time-consuming task," Huber said.
Even with such a task remaining, commissioner Joel Kuhlman, who expressed frustration with the process in
February, praised the work done so far.
"That’s a pretty big accomplishment if you’re well along in that process (of assessments)"
Kuhlman said.