Portage River Watershed Plan - Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of ...

March 2012
Portage River Watershed Plan
Fact Sheet
Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments
300 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Ste. 300
P.O. Box 9508
Toledo, Ohio 43697-9508
www.tmacog.org

Portage River Watershed Plan
Fact Sheet
Portage River Overview
The Portage is one of northwest Ohio’s principal rivers. It drains part of the Great Black Swamp,
which includes some of Ohio’s most productive farmland, and is home to 67,000 residents. The
watershed covers parts of Hancock, Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca, and Wood counties, the cities of
Bowling Green, Fostoria, and Port Clinton, and 25 villages. Three communities — McComb,
North Baltimore, and Fostoria — draw their drinking water directly from the river or a tributary,
and many others use its groundwater. The Portage provides water supply and water drainage,
plus recreation for its residents and visitors.
The mainstem of the river is over 60 miles long, and has several major tributaries: the North,
Middle, South, and East Branches, Needles Creek, Rader Creek, Rocky Ford, Sugar Creek, Wolf
Creek, and the Little Portage. The river flows generally northeasterly and enters Lake Erie at
Port Clinton, with a total watershed area of 581 square miles.
The Portage River Basin Council
In 1994 the Portage River Basin Council was created within TMACOG to preserve and restore
the integrity of all waterways in the Portage River watershed. In that time, watershed
stakeholders and TMACOG have worked together to address sewage treatment issues, repair
malfunctioning septic systems, provide grant funding for agricultural conservation, and test
water quality to teach students ecology.
Portage River Water Quality
In 2011 Ohio EPA completed the Portage River Watershed TMDL Report. The TMDL (total
maximum daily load) specifies how much pollution must be reduced from various sources in
order to meet Ohio’s water quality standards. The standards are based on uses of the waterway
— for instance, recreation, drinking, or to support aquatic life. Measurement of water quality
includes testing for bacteria, chemical content of the water, and the diversity of species living in
a stream. A stream that meets water quality standards for recreation, drinking, or aquatic life is
said to be “in attainment.” Where a stream does not meet standards, the TMDL identifies the
reasons by listing “causes and sources of impairment.”
Impairments may include a wastewater plant that doesn’t meet treatment standards, failed
septic systems, stormwater runoff from urban areas or feedlots, fertilizer runoff from suburban
gardens or farm fields, or loss of natural habitat along streams.
The TMDL found all watersheds in attainment for drinking water, but places three on a watch
list for nitrates. Of 49 sites tested for aquatic life, 27 (55%) were in attainment, 11 (22%) in
partial attainment, and 11 (22%) in non‐attainment. Of 57 sites tested for recreation (i.e., fecal
bacteria), 8 (14%) were in attainment and 49 (86%) were in non‐attainment. Three watersheds
list fish tissue impairments (e.g., PCBs).
Portage River Watershed Plan Fact Sheet 2

The TMDL tells us that parts of the Portage system have good water quality, especially larger
streams of the Middle and South Branches, and Rocky Ford watersheds. The most widespread
impairment is high fecal bacteria (E. coli) levels. Likely sources are failed septic systems or
manure runoff. Municipal wastewater effluent, especially from combined sewer overflows, is
another likely source. Common impairments for aquatic life are sedimentation, high levels of
nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen), and lack of habitat.
The Portage River and Lake Erie
In recent years extensive blue‐green algae blooms have returned to Lake Erie. Algae raises
water treatment costs, contributes toxins to the water, and discourages fishing, swimming, and
tourism on the lake. While the algae blooms are not completely understood, it is clear that they
are driven by high phosphorus levels. Nutrient loadings from the Portage and other Lake Erie
streams are feeding the algae blooms. The Portage TMDL sets specific numerical targets for
phosphorus load reductions needed for a clean Lake Erie. Phosphorus load reductions call for
improvements of wastewater treatment plants, septic systems, manure management, and
agricultural production through Best Management Practices.
The Watershed Plan
From 2007 to 2011 TMACOG
and Portage River Basin
Council members prepared
the Portage River Watershed
Plan. This plan provides a
comprehensive inventory of
the physical, chemical, and
biological health of the
eighteen smaller watersheds
of the river. The plan also
recommends goals for 9 of
the 18 subwatersheds
(referred to as “hydrological
units” or HUCs). The goals
are designed to achieve the
phosphorus loading targets set by the TMDL, and are based on stakeholder input and target the
areas having the greatest potential for restoration and protection.
The Plan is being submitted to OEPA and ODNR with a request for their endorsement. A stateendorsed
watershed plan supports, and in some cases is required for, state and federal grants.
The following table summarizes the types of projects that the Portage River Watershed Plan
recommends. Specific projects are listed for the subwatersheds in Chapter 5 of the plan.
Portage River Watershed Plan Fact Sheet 3

Water Quality
Impairment
High fecal bacteria (E. coli)
levels
Example Restoration Project
Repair / replace malfunctioning or obsolete home sewage
treatment systems (HSTS)
Extend public sewers to eliminate HSTS
Upgrade public sewerage systems
Manure management practices to keep livestock runoff out of
streams
Habitat alteration
Sedimentation / siltation
Protect and restore floodplains
Agricultural buffer strips between a farm field and the stream
Improve riparian habitat along streams
Nutrient enrichment
(nitrates, phosphates)
Repair / replace malfunctioning or obsolete home sewage
treatment systems (HSTS)
Extend public sewers to eliminate HSTS
Upgrade public sewerage systems
Manure management practices to keep livestock runoff out of
streams
Agricultural buffer strips between a farm field and the stream
Improve riparian habitat along streams
Cover crops for nutrient removal
Controlled field drainage systems
All
Educational workshops and programs on best management
practices for land owners, public officials, and stakeholders
Implementation
Implementation of projects related to public sewerage systems or household sewage treatment
systems may be carried out under regulatory programs of county Health Departments or Ohio
EPA. The Watershed Plan recommends that agricultural or habitat projects should be
implemented on a voluntary basis with the willing support of the property owner. This plan
supports financial incentives to carry out these projects.
Portage River Watershed Plan Fact Sheet 4

Developing projects to carry out the plan will be the role of the Portage River Basin Council.
Stakeholder involvement in the Council brings local resources that will make effective projects:
ideas and local contacts, public outreach, data, and matching funds or in‐kind services for grant
applications.
Restoring water quality impairments in the Portage River watersheds will protect public health
by reducing pathogens in the river, improve the river’s water quality, reduce nutrient loadings
that result in toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie, protect the river’s natural beauty, and enhance
recreation along the Portage.
Resources
Fact Sheet for the Ohio EPA Portage River Watershed TMDL
http://www.epa.ohio.gov/portals/35/tmdl/Portage_FactSheet_Final.pdf
TMACOG Portage River Watershed Plan
http://www.tmacog.org/Environment/Portage/2011/Portage_River_Watershed_Plan.pdf
TMACOG Portage River Watershed Plan Appendices
http://www.tmacog.org/Environment/Portage/2011/Portage_Watershed_Plan_Appendices.pdf
Acknowledgements
The Portage River Watershed Plan was prepared with the support and valuable assistance of
many state and federal agencies, local agencies of Hancock, Ottawa, Seneca, Sandusky, and
Wood Counties, local jurisdictions, and watershed stakeholders. TMACOG is grateful for their
contributions and dedication to environmental stewardship of the Portage River. The Portage
River Watershed Plan was funded by a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Division of Soil & Water Resources, and matching funds by members of TMACOG.
Portage River Watershed Plan Fact Sheet 5