Restoring a Burning River – 50 years later

We all know the Cuyahoga River caught on fire. What’s being done to clean it up?

There’s lots of buzz starting to generate these days around the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, as local residents and water enthusiasts begin gearing up for the 50 year anniversary of the last time the river caught on fire in 1969. Since then, many changes have taken place along the Cuyahoga and much effort has been made to restore the river and its watershed.

Mayor Carl Stokes – 1969 Cuyahoga River News Conference (clevelandhistorical.org)

The infamous 1969 fire was actually the last of a series of occasions in which the river “caught on fire.”  In reality, it wasn’t the river itself that was burning, but the oil, sewage, industrial waste, and flammable debris floating on the water’s surface. In addition to the spectacle of a burning river, all of this contamination heavily degraded water quality, damaged terrestrial and aquatic wildlife habitats, and ultimately led to a major loss of biodiversity.

Since 1969 much as been done to clean up the Cuyahoga and other rivers like it. The passage of the Clean Water Act came a few years later in 1972 and sought to make all of America’s rivers ‘fishable and swimmable’ by establishing the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants and by setting quality standards for surface waters. Fifteen years later in 1987 a binational agreement between the United States and Canada called the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) sought to bring more attention to the most polluted waters specifically in the Great Lakes. According to the GLWQA, each of the polluted rivers, called Areas of Concern (AOC), were required to develop Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) that identify all of the environmental problems (called Beneficial Use Impairments, or BUIs) in the area and enlist local advisory committees and environmental protection agencies to restore them.

For the Cuyahoga River, only the lower 46.5 miles are included in the Area of Concern. So are all of the tributaries that drain into that section of the river and the shoreline adjacent to the river’s mouth, including tributaries that flow directly into Lake Erie. The entire AOC covers an area that stretches from Big Creek on the western edge of Cuyahoga County to Euclid Creek in the east, and from the shore of Lake Erie south all the way to the City of Akron. In total, the area spans parts of Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Portage, Summit, and Medina counties, and includes 10 BUIs that the RAP has targeted for restoration:

  • Restrictions on Fish Consumption
  • Degradation of Fish Populations
  • Fish Tumors or Other Deformities
  • Degradation of Benthos
  • Restrictions on Navigational Dredging
  • Eutrophication or Undesirable Algae
  • Beach Closings (Recreational Contact)
  • Public Access and Recreation Impairments
  • Degradation of Aesthetics
  • Loss of Fish Habitat

In short, lots of people are working to clean the river up and delist the BUIs. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is collaborating with the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern Advisory Committee to lead restoration actions. The Advisory Committee is facilitated by the nonprofit Cuyahoga River Restoration, and is made up of representatives from Ohio Sea Grant and other organizations including nonprofit community groups, businesses, government agencies, and local residents concerned with the health of the watershed.

Some of the restoration activities that have taken place are complex and expensive undertakings, such as removing dams or installing green stormwater infrastructure to reduce combined sewer overflows (during heavy rains untreated stormwater and wastewater combine and discharge directly into the river). Other activities are much smaller in scale, like restoring riverbank vegetation, working with landowners to plant riparian buffers, and developing fish habitat along barren stretches of the shipping channel close to the river’s mouth. Ultimately, much of the progress to delist BUIs will be dependent on education and outreach that informs the public about the problems facing the Cuyahoga River and encourages local residents to contribute to potential solutions.

If you are interested in learning more about the Cuyahoga River, or would like to contribute to restoration efforts, there are plenty of opportunities. To get started, check out the website for the AOC’s facilitating organization, Cuyahoga River Restoration, or the Cuyahoga Valley National Park located in the river’s headwaters. You will be able to read about all of the great things happening to keep the Cuyahoga fishable and swimmable and see how you can personally make a difference. We have come a long way over the past several decades!

See you on the river!

Scott Hardy is an Extension Educator with the Ohio Sea Grant College Program.

Tread Thoughtfully; Reducing your Carbon Footprint

Every day we make choices – what we eat, where we go, what we purchase. Have you considered the energy and resources used in your everyday life? Or how our choices further impact climate change?

Carbon Footprint defined by the EPA is “the total amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere each year by a person, family, building, organization, or company. A person’s carbon footprint includes greenhouse gas emissions from fuel that an individual burns directly, such as by heating a home or riding in a car. It also includes greenhouse gases that come from producing the goods or services that the individual uses, including emissions from power plants that make electricity, factories that make products, and landfills where trash gets sent.”

So what are some easy steps you can take to reducing your carbon footprint?

  • Drive less – walk, ride your bike, take public transportation, and plan out your trips so you can combine errands into fewer trips. Make air travel less frequent, shorter, and fly economy class (more people per plane/mile can reduce the impact of each individual).
  • Buy your food local! On average, produce travels 1,500 miles from farm to plate.
  • Lower your water usage, so less water is sent to Water Treatment Facilities, and purchase water efficient appliances (shower heads, faucets, toilets, dishwashers, and washing machines). Helpful hint: turn off the faucet while you brush your teeth!
  • For waste, remember the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle – and in that order.
  • Lastly, purchase energy efficient appliances, light bulbs (LED), consider renewable energy options for your home or office, properly insulate your home so it can better regulate temperature, and avoid having the heat or air conditioning running while you are not home.

As an individual, you can offset your carbon footprint by positively impacting your community through the following ways: volunteering, helping with projects that will increase green space, planting trees, or reducing waste, and increasing public knowledge of carbon emissions & energy consumption. Take a step in the right direction to understanding and reducing your carbon footprint today: earthday.org/take-action/footprint-calculator.

Clean Energy Investments; what will this look like for Ohio’s economy and sustainability in the future? The video link below gives a glimpse into the past, present, and future of energy in Ohio: cdnapisec.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/preview/partner_id/1012331/uiconf_id/24075381/entry_id/1_scmw0km4/embed/dynamic

Sources:

25+ Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: cotap.org/reduce-carbon-footprint/

Interesting article on the carbon footprint of a loaf of bread: npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/02/27/517531611/whats-the-environmental-footprint-of-a-loaf-of-bread-now-we-know

Lauren Vargo is a Program Coordinator for CD/ANR in Cuyahoga County (Western Reserve EERA).

The Plastic Paradise: STOP!

LIFE Magazine: Throwaway Living

Credit: Life Magazine, 1955.

If you took a moment to look around you right now, how many items would you see made of plastic? As I sit in my office, I have counted at least 30 such items. Fortunately, nearly all them are recyclable. Did you find any items made of single-use plastic, only useful for a few hours, a few minutes, or maybe even a few seconds? These single-use plastics are becoming increasingly more common in our everyday lives, having catastrophic effects on our natural environments, the health of wildlife, and maybe even the health of humans. So the big question now is how did we get here? How did we become a throwaway society that embraces “throwaway living” as Life Magazine called it on their 1955 cover?  Well, for one, throwaway plastics make our lives so much easier. But, are you still willing to take the easy way out when you know of the negative impact our everyday plastic decisions make on our natural resources?

Chart

Data Source: Hardy and Bartolotta, unpublished.

To better understand the answer to this question, Scott Hardy, Ohio Sea Grant Extension Educator in Cuyahoga County, and I conducted a study in Northeast Ohio to understand how often people use single use plastics, the barriers to using reusable alternatives, and what reminders to encourage reuse people prefer for plastic bags, plastic water bottles, and plastic cigar tips. (For this blog, I will just focus on the plastic bags.)

We learned that people in northeast Ohio use reusable bags about 30% of the time and plastic bags about 28% of the time. The most common reason for not using reusable bags is people either forget them at home or in the car. So how do we remind people to bring their reusable bags? Most prefer an incentive, such as money off their purchase, to encourage them to use reusable. Seventy-five percent were also in favor of either a ban, fee, or both a ban and fee on plastic bags.

So how do you fit into the equation? Do you shop? Do you use bags to carry your things from the store? Do you throw those plastic bags away when you get home?

Credit: New Scientist.when you get home?

Fact Check! The average use-time of a plastic bag is 12 minutes. Yet, the lifespan of a bag in the environment is, well… a really long time. Plastic never degrades. It becomes smaller and smaller pieces of plastic that get eaten by our tiniest animal zooplankton making its way up the food web to the fish you like to eat like salmon and perch. “What can I do” you ask? Make it a habit to bring your own bags to the store. It takes 66 days to form a new habit.

Your challenge: For the next 66 days, use ONLY a reusable bag. Come May you will be a reusable bag-toting champion! If you forget your bag at home say “No thank you” to a plastic bag and hand carry it out. Lake Erie thanks you, the zooplankton thank you, and I thank you.

Jill Bartolotta is an Extension Educator with the Ohio Sea Grant College Program.

Endnotes:

catastrophic effects: Bartolotta, J. 2016. You are the solution to the “Eww”. The Ohio State University Community Development Extension Blog.

Website: https://u.osu.edu/extensioncd/tag/marine-debris/.

1955 cover: 2016. The Macro Cost of Micro Contamination. Zero Waste in Action.

Website: http://zerowastezone.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-macro-cost-of-micro-contamination.html

12 minutes: Save the Bay. Reducing Single-Use Plastic Bags in the Environment. Fact Sheet. Website: https://www.savesfbay.org/sites/default/files/news_release/Fact%20Sheet%20single%20use%20bags_MASTER%205-9-14.pdf

get eaten by our tiniest animal zooplankton: New Scientist Magazine. 2015. Plankton snacking on plastic caught on camera for the first time. Website: https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27849-plankton-snacking-on-plastic-caught-on-camera-for-the-first-time/.

66 days: Lally, P. van Jaarsveld, C.H.M., Potts, H.W.W., and J. Wardle. 2009. How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology. 40:6, pp. 998-1009. Website: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.674/abstract.

What are we going to do to stop this fish?

In last week’s Community Development blog, which you can read here: u.osu.edu/extensioncd/2017/01/19/alien-invaders/, my colleague Tory Gabriel explained the threat of aquatic invasive species (AIS), also known as aquatic nuisance species (ANS).

Bighead carp

Bighead carp

The timing of his blog worked out well for me, because in this week’s blog I am going to tell you about a study Frank Lichtkoppler and I did that was published last month in the Journal of Extension on the topic of probably the most frightening alien fish we have in the United States right now: the Asian Carp. Check out the article here: joe.org/joe/2016december/a5.php.

The Asian Carp is actually four different species of fish: the black carp, grass carp, silver carp, and bighead carp. It has gained a stronghold in large portions of the Mississippi River basin in recent decades. It out-competes native fish species for habitat and food, and its population has skyrocketed as it has no local predators. It represents such an enormous threat to the fisheries of the Great Lakes that the US Army Corps of Engineers has been investigating the closure of the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS), the most likely route the Asian Carp could take to the Great Lakes. This system is incredibly important to shipping in the United States.

Let’s say you want to ship something from Cleveland, Detroit or a similar starting point down to Memphis or New Orleans. You must leave the Great Lakes basin and enter into the Mississippi River basin to do that. And of course the same thing goes for cargo coming the other way. Before railroads, canals linking various watersheds like this played an enormous role in contributing to the national economic integration of the United States. This was key in facilitating the economic development of our then young country. Today some of the canals are partially preserved as historical attractions. But the CAWS is different. It still plays a major role in shipping as it is the only waterway linking the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River basin. Estimates of the engineering costs of closing the CAWS and re-routing storm and sanitary sewers, combined with the economic losses that will result from losing it as a transportation corridor, are in the multiple billions of dollars.

So any consideration of the closure of this waterway system, which is also an important visitation attraction that I recommend you see when in Chicago, illustrates just how serious a threat the Asian Carp is. I chose the title to this current blog post partly in deference to a 2014 article from The Verge which underscores the urgency of the problem. The article is called, “America Must Kill This Fish.” I suggest that you take the time to read it here: theverge.com/2014/3/21/5533054/asian-carp-american-waterways.

Two years before that article appeared in The Verge, back in 2012, the US Army Corps of Engineers funded a set of public opinion surveys regarding closure of the CAWS. Because of OSU Extension Sea Grant’s experience in surveying Great Lakes charter captains on a host of issues and topics, the Corps selected our organization to undertake the survey for this key stakeholder group. Charter captains have a lot at stake here because, if the Asian Carp succeeds in reaching the Great Lakes, it will do heavy damage to the fisheries there. Recreational fishermen who hire charter captains are eager to catch walleye, trout, and yellow perch, but those species will be greatly reduced or even destroyed by the presence of Asian Carp. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Asian Carp could cause the worst ecological catastrophe in the history of the Great Lakes.

Our survey revealed that about 95% of charter captains favor closing the CAWS, and that the average captain is willing to pay about $95 a year to contribute to the cost of the closure. Our findings also show that charter captains who are making plans to expand their businesses are willing to pay more for closure, and the increase in willingness to pay is proportional to the magnitude of the expansions they are planning. About 17% of captains said they need more information in order to form a valid measure of their willingness to pay. And of course, the Extension Sea Grant network is currently conducting extensive outreach education to try to close this information gap.

It is not clear what the future is going to be as the country faces the challenge of protecting the Great Lakes from the Asian Carp. Our study plays a modest role in assessing the environmental economic opinions of one key stakeholder group, Great Lakes charter captains. Our contributions may be in the form of leading to surveys of the broader public – including boaters, shoreline anglers and even the American population in general. This would be appropriate since, in the final analysis the Asian Carp really is a national problem and the closure of the CAWS, if it comes, will eventually rely on general taxpayer funding of some type. Another contribution we have made is to the scholarly literature on the methodology of assessing public opinion, which will potentially have implications for how researchers measure opinions on all types of environmental economic topics ranging from global climate change to recycling to preservation of endangered species.

In the meantime, a number of measures have been taken to prevent the Asian Carp from crossing into the CAWS. One is an apparatus that sends a series of electrical shocks through the water as it approaches the CAWS. The level of electric shock intensifies with proximity to the waterway. For now, it seems to be effective. This brings up another point. Critics of the closure of the CAWS have been vocal in pointing out that basin separation, as attractive as it may seem to its proponents, is not a fool proof method of preventing the spread of the Asian Carp to the Great Lakes. And so the question remains: what are we going to do to stop this fish?

Tom Blaine is an Associate Professor with OSU Extension, Community Development.

Alien Invaders

They are all around us. Many humans interact with them on a daily basis. Even if you don’t have direct contact with them personally, all of us are impacted by their mere presence. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some of them are terrifying, others falsely appear harmless, and still others are so tiny they are invisible to the naked eye.  I’m focusing on the ones that live in Lake Erie.

Aquatic Invasive Species

“Take me to your leader” (Photo by T. Lawrence, Great Lakes Fishery Commission)

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, I’m talking about aquatic invasive species (AIS). They go by many names: alien, introduced, exotic, non-indigenous, non-native. All of these descriptors just mean that it’s an organism that has been brought to a new environment where it doesn’t belong. If that new organism causes some harm, it is known as an invasive species. As in … it’s invading and taking over the new environment, causing harmful impacts on the aquatic natural resources and on the human use of these resources. Some of these species can cost communities millions of dollars due to pricey control efforts, damage to facilities and property, and negative impacts to local tourism opportunities.

According to the Great Lakes Aquatic Non-indigenous Species Information System, there are over 180 non-indigenous species reported to have reproducing populations in the Great Lakes basin, many of which are in Lake Erie. They’ve come from a variety of places and continue to spread, always with human help. Some major pathways include ballast water from international shipping vessels, aquarium introductions, intentional or accidental stocking, and barrier removal (such as shipping canals around Niagara Falls).

Controlling AIS

“If only controlling AIS in Lake Erie could be this much fun…” (Photo from www.gamefabrique.com)

So how can you help in the fight against these alien invaders?

  • Learn to recognize AIS and report new sightings to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
  • Clean, Drain, Dry! When using boats or other aquatic recreational equipment, before leaving the water access: inspect and remove foreign material, drain water from all containers (bilge, livewell, etc.), clean with high pressure and/or heated water, and allow to dry for at least five days before transporting between bodies of water. Learn more at www.protectyourwaters.net.
  • Dispose of unwanted bait, worms and fish parts in the trash
  • Get Habitattitude! Never dump aquarium pets, plants, other organisms, or water, including bait, from one water body into another. Learn more at http://www.habitattitude.net/.
Independence Day movie poster

“We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight!”  (Photo from www.IMDB.com)

For more information on AIS in the Great Lakes, check out the resources below or contact me at gabriel.78@osu.edu. And good luck to you as you join us in the fight to stop these alien invaders!

Tory Gabriel is the Extension Program Leader & Fisheries Outreach Coordinator (Ohio Sea Grant College Program).

 

Collaborative ‘Work Zones’ transcend traditional office space

We spend a lot of our lives at work. How can we more effectively foster engagement, collaboration, and promote an atmosphere of teamwork? One approach is to develop intentional, multi-purpose collaborative space, or work zones.

“Space” is constantly being re-defined and re-designed. A couple decades ago public spaces were being reclaimed and re-purposed to increase civic engagement. Then classrooms started transforming their space to increase student engagement and incorporate innovative technologies. Today, the places where we actually go to work (our work spaces) are in the spotlight of innovation and debate.

There are dozens of new terms being used to describe innovative work spaces including, for example: smart work spaces, makers’ spaces, co-working spaces, projective spaces, engaged workplaces, and humanized spaces. Regardless of the term, the same principle stands; space impacts humans’ physical and mental capitals.

Effective work spaces can impact the upward mobility of our overall community capitals through our use of space, programming, and outreach efforts. The Harvard Business Review recently posted, “One of the things that environmental psychologists focus on is how design affects mood. Via a chain of psychological chain reactions, mood influences worker engagement; more positive moods link to higher levels of engagement. Designing for engagement is designing to make those positive moods more likely.” (Augustin, 2014)

workspaces-funkt-2017-01-12

Photo: the office of Siteground, designed by Funkt.eu. Photo by: Brava Casa, post on Swipes Personal Blog.

This topic is being studied by academia as well as creating a new niche for design professionals, like Funkt, which are reinventing workspaces and the reason Smart Workplace Design Summits are being held around the world. The evidence is growing for experimenting and breathing new life into our office spaces.

There is a growing demand for such work environments as new employees enter the workplace and seek out work spaces that are welcoming and inviting and promote a general sense of well-being. Comfortable work spaces promote an atmosphere of teamwork, keep minds focused and can limit distractions.

workspaces-spark-lab-2017-01-12

Spark Lab in Hardin County, OH. Photo by Mark Light. Welcome to the Sparks Lab

Mark Light (Hardin County Ohio 4-H Youth Development Educator and CED) has been involved in transforming his traditional office space into a dynamic makers’ space. Mark stated, “The goal of the Hardin County Ohio Spark Lab is to instill that inspiration or ‘spark’ that youth and adults need to discover, learn, and grow in a creative environment. This setting is more than just a futuristic classroom or makers’ space. It is a center of innovation in a rural county framed through the education lens of a land grant university system.” (Light, 2016)

The Hardin County Ohio Spark Lab makers’ space was made possible through a combination of funding sources: an OSU Extension Innovation grant, Columbus Foundation funding, and the Hardin County Commissioners. Sometimes, funding needs to be as creative as the spaces we are trying to create. These are exciting times to be working in!

Walk around your work space in the New Year and talk among your peers. See if creative steps and funding streams can be explored to make your work space more innovative and engaging for you, your colleagues, and your community’s benefit.

Meghan Thoreau is a new OSU Extension Educator in Community Development with a focus on providing leadership and programming to meet current and future needs related to STEM education with Pickaway County schools. Meghan grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; is an avid traveler and has lived in a number of places, including Western Wyoming, Upstate New York, and Eastern South Dakota, before moving with her family to Central Ohio. She’s worked with communities both at the municipal and grassroots levels and has always strived to strengthen communities and increase the quality of life for residents.

Post References:

Augustin, Sally. (2014, October 28) Rules for Designing an Engaging Workplace. Harvard Business Review. Available at: hbr.org/2014/10/rules-for-designing-an-engaging-workplace

Light, Mark. (2016, May 16) Welcome to the Spark Lab. Hardin County Spark Lab. Available at: u.osu.edu/sparklab/2016/05/22/welcome/

Feed People, Not Landfills

food-waste-2-2016-12-15

How can we improve the environment, save money, and more effectively address food insecurity issues? One approach within the larger sustainability movement involves looking more closely at the issue of food waste.

According to the U.S. EPA, in 2014 more than 38 million tons of food waste was generated, with only 5.1% being diverted from landfills and incinerators through composting efforts. The EPA estimates more food reaches landfills and incinerators than any other single material in our waste streams, accounting for 21.6% of our discarded solid waste.

According to the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), an international environmental advocacy group, “Getting food from the farm to our fork eats up 10 percent of the total U.S. energy budget, uses 50 percent of U.S. land, and swallows 80 percent of all freshwater consumed in the United States.” When we consider the large amount of natural resources used for food production it is troubling that 40% of food in the U.S. goes uneaten. The uneaten food ends up rotting in landfills where it accounts for a large portion of U.S. methane emissions, posing negative effects on the environment. However, food waste is not only an environmental concern, but also a social and economic issue.

food-waste-2016-12-15The economic effects of food waste are just as startling. Americans throw away the equivalent of $165 billion worth of food each year. In addition to food waste occurring at the consumer level, 10% of the total food supply at the retail level enters the solid waste stream. The USDA estimates that supermarkets lose $15 billion annually in unsold fruits and vegetables alone, in addition to the baked goods, meat, seafood, and ready-made foods that go unsold. These items can easily be recovered from the waste stream by donating them to local food banks and food pantries, and retailers can receive tax benefits for doing so.

Aside from economic and environmental benefits of reducing food waste, recovering or diverting edible food from the waste stream could help to address the larger social issue of food insecurity in the U.S. In 2015, 12.7% of U.S. households (15.8 million households) were food insecure (USDA ERS), and 6.6% of households in Ohio were found to have “very low food security,” defined by the USDA as households in which “normal eating patterns of one or more household members were disrupted and food intake was reduced at times during the year because they had insufficient money or other resources for food.” Reducing food losses by just 15% recovers enough food to feed more than 25 million Americans every year, which could have a profound impact when we consider that one in six Americans lacks a secure supply of food.

To learn more about food waste and food recovery systems contact Amanda Osborne (osborne.414@osu.edu), County Extension Educator, Cuyahoga County & Western Reserve EERA.

Going Green Tips for Great Lakes Marinas – and You!

Last month, the Ohio Clean Marinas Program hosted a webinar for Great Lakes marinas on the topic of native landscaping. Experts from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, Good Nature Organic Lawn Care, and the Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District were brought together to discuss native plant options, an introduction to organic lawn care, and best practices for non-toxic cleaning.

green-tips-2016-11-10While this content was targeted towards marina owners – especially our certified Clean Marinas in the Great Lakes who are actively taking steps to protect water quality – I was amazed at how much of it is applicable to homeowners, communities, and business owners alike. Did you know that 22% of Ohio’s plants are invasive (i.e., non-native), and that there is a Go Native website to help you find native alternatives? Or that your lawn will receive 30% of the nitrogen it needs by mulching instead of bagging your grass clippings? How about this one:  a mixture of vinegar, water, and a bit of dishwashing liquid makes a great non-toxic weed killer!

All of these practices are encouraged for environmental purposes, but they also have social and economic benefits. By planting native plants and rain gardens, you improve habitat for wildlife, aid in stormwater runoff, and often improve the aesthetic appeal of your lawn by adding flowering plants and shrubs where grass once was. Organic alternatives to traditional lawn care benefit wildlife and water quality while creating a safer yard for pets and children. Replacing toxic cleaning products with home-made alternatives is better for you and the environment without compromising on effectiveness or draining your pocketbook on expensive chemicals.

For more great tips and information and to see our Great Lakes Clean Marina Boat Cleaning Best Practices tip sheet for recipes on non-toxic cleaning products (useful on your boat and around your home!), I encourage you to watch the webinar recording!

Sarah Orlando is the Ohio Clean Marinas Program Manager, Ohio Sea Grant College Program.

Improving Storm Hazards Resilience in Coastal Communities

Boasting beautiful beaches for sunbathing and swimming, healthy populations of walleye and perch for sport fishing, and plenty of open water for boating, Lake Erie brings both economic gain to coastal communities and enjoyment to recreation seekers. But, despite all of the fun being had in the sun, did you know that coastal storms that blow across the Lake before touching land on Ohio’s north coast bring their fair share of problems, too?

coastal-storms-2-2016-09-08Coastal storms and resulting flood events have historically been the most destructive natural hazards in northern Ohio. In fact, Ohio’s Hazards Mitigation Plan names flooding and coastal flooding as the top two most important hazards impacting the entire state. In Cuyahoga County alone, storms and heavy rains are responsible for over $650 million in damages since 1950. Making matters worse, the impacts of coastal storms are not limited to just flooding. Other hazards caused by storms can include erosion of river banks and coastline, damage to transportation routes and public utilities, combined sewer overflows, dangerous currents in the Lake, and runoff that can contribute to the formation of harmful algal blooms.

To prepare for coastal storms, it is important to understand who is most vulnerable. That is, who has the greatest potential for loss of property, infrastructure, or even human life. Some of the factors that influence a person or community’s potential for loss from natural hazards like coastal storms include: frailty and physical limitations; lack of access to resources (information, knowledge, technology); limited political power and representation; eroded social networks and connections; dilapidated building stock; and poorly maintained infrastructure (Cutter et al., 2003).

Identifying populations that are most vulnerable can help local decision makers create plans for building resilience to storm hazards. More importantly, valuable resources for hazards mitigation can be targeted at the populations that are the most in need.

This has become a priority in the Great Lakes region in recent years with the support of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Storms Program (CSP). The CSP seeks to make communities safer by reducing the loss of life and negative impacts of coastal storms via collaboration with academic institutions like The Ohio State University, government agencies, and even nongovernmental organizations to address regional priorities.

Another source of support for coastal storms research and outreach comes from the NOAA Office for Coastal Management. Specifically, their Digital Coast website provides users data, tools, and training needed to increase resiliency to severe storms and other issues facing coastal communities.

If you are interested in knowing more about how to make our north coast safer and more ecologically and economically sustainable for local populations and tourists alike, check out these additional efforts to better understand and prepare for coastal storms in the Great Lakes.

Scott Hardy is an Extension Educator with the Ohio Sea Grant College Program.


Cutter, S., Boruff, B., and Shirley, W. 2003. “Social Vulnerability to Environmental Hazards.” Social Science Quarterly: 84 (2) 242-261.

Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management. 2011. “Countywide All Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan.” Web reference accessed 8.16.2016. < ja.cuyahogacounty.us>

Ohio Department of Public Safety. 2011. “State of Ohio Hazard Mitigation Plan.” Web reference accessed 7.25.2016. <ema.ohio.gov/Mitigation_OhioPlan.aspx>.

Ohio Shale Energy Development: Assessing the Economic Opportunities and Risks

Ohio Shale Energy Development 2016-08-11 #2The recent technological advancement in horizontal hydraulic fracturing has unlocked oil and gas resources from shale formations once thought to be uneconomical to recover. According to an article by the U.S. DOE Energy Information Administration, “As a result of growth in production, domestic production is soon expected to surpass domestic consumption of natural gas, and by 2018 the United States becomes a net exporter of natural gas for the first time since the 1950s.”[1]  Ohio is a major contributor to domestic oil and gas development as intense production from the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations continue to expand.

At the local level, oil and gas development can create a boomtown scenario for communities who experience an increase in population, wealth and economic activity due to the sudden shock. Energy-based economies often experience a boom-bust cycle that follows the rise and fall of energy prices. A high performing energy sector often crowds out other sectors from additional growth, promoting a highly specialized regional economy that is dependent on the performance of the energy sector. This contributes to the volatility of the local economy by limiting economic diversification, and thereby impacting long-term economic growth.

Ohio Shale Energy Development 2016-08-11OSU Extension has collaborated with faculty researchers in OSU’s department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics and the School of Environment and Natural Resources to develop resources that explain how oil and gas development can affect the social, economic, and environmental fabric of a community. A recently published fact sheet series titled, “Shale Energy Development Economic Impact Analysis” is based on the original research from the project “Maximizing the Gains of Old and New Energy Development for America’s Rural Communities.” The materials summarize the project’s research to inform the reader of economic impacts related to energy development.

  1. Ohio Energy Trends: Comparing Old And New Energy Development
  2. Characteristics Of A Boomtown
  3. Contributing Factors To A Boomtown Bust
  4. Developing A Model To Measure Economic Change In An Energy Economy
  5. Local Economic Development Strategies For Energy Boomtowns
  6. Community Planning Strategies For Energy Boomtowns

Readers are provided a background on energy development in Ohio, an investigation into the structural changes that local economies experience when faced with oil and gas development, and planning strategies that interested community stakeholders can employ to nurture long-term community vitality.

For more information, visit Ohioline to review the fact sheet series or contact Eric Romich.

Eric Romich is an Assistant Professor and Ohio State University Extension Field Specialist for Energy Development.


 

[1] United States Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (USDOE/EIA) . (2016, June). Most natural gas production growth is expected to come from shale gas and tight oil plays. Retrieved from EIA Today In Energy: http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=26552