FOSTORIA, Ohio — Northwest Ohio will soon have new wetlands. For years, the Seneca County Park District has co-managed the Fruth Outdoor Center with the Geary Family YMCA.
But now, they are the primary managers of the property.
Just as they began maintaining the new outdoor area, the state of Ohio started asking if county park districts had any unused land that could be transformed into wetlands as part of the H2Ohio initiative, which works towards protecting our water from toxic algae.
So now with a $309,000-H2Ohio grant, this 18-acres property will be fully transformed into a recreational wetland.
Along with the added nature programs for the parks district, the wetlands will help local farmers with draining their fields of excess water and is expected to act as a natural filter before the drained water reaches Lake Erie.
"Because we are pretty sure that the small wetlands have a big portion in managing nutrient reduction and things like that. So, this will be a nice way to see how it goes," Seneca County Park District Executive Director Sarah Betts said.
The goal is to have construction start within the next month and a half, with the new wetlands getting completed in June 2021.
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