Drained, old Oberlin reservoir being reshaped as a wetland

OBERLIN — The watery depths of an old reservoir on Morgan Street are gone, reduced to mud baking in the sun. That was done on purpose. Workers have pumped it dry as part of a $300,000 plan to convert the reservoir into a wetland, leaving its twin just to the east full. "It's going to be beautiful," said Oberlin Public Works Director Jeff Baumann, giving a peek behind the construction fence Tuesday to where a puddle here or there is all that remains of the western reservoir. Baumann was excited as he showed plans to build an observation deck out into what will be restored as a serene marsh. As he talked, workers from Big Trees Inc. of Valley City were busy moving earth and spreading grass seed. Saplings have been planted, and soon the new wetland will flourish with wildflowers, milkweed, sedge and rye. The site is designed to collect rainwater in the coming months, filling to about 4 feet at its deepest parts. Baumann envisions the end result as a smaller version of the Lorain County Metro Parks' Sandy Ridge Reservation in North Ridgeville, drawing water fowl such as cranes, herons, geese and ducks. The project was borne out of necessity. In 2019, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources brought down the hammer on the city, demanding about $1 million in repairs to the old reservoirs, which were actually classified as controlled dams. The less costly and more environmentally attractive option was to lower the embankments and water level, making structural changes needed to reclassify the western reservoir so it's no longer under the ODNR's jurisdiction. "Their primary interest is in the relative safety of upland reservoirs," Baumann said. "So taking one out of service that had no continued purpose as a continued water supply and re-creating it in this manner, yeah, they were on board." No longer will the neighboring bodies of water be connected — that was part of the deal to get out from under state regulation — and a new spillway has been built on the southwestern corner of the wetland to handle excess water. Work on the project began last year, but continuing efforts this year have been delayed by a spate of bad weather, Baumann said. Now he anticipates fences coming down and the public having access to the park in July. There's much work to be done in the interim. A winding dirt ring around the former reservoir, which has been used by excavators and other heavy machinery, will be turned into a fine limestone gravel walking trail, for example. Stairs also need to be built where the path changes elevation. Grass netting is being laid down, and workers want to rid the property of invasive plant species that could overrun the wetland, Baumann said. With the transformation of the Morgan Street reservoir and recent purchase of the former Prospect Elementary School, Oberlin will now have two recreational attractions on its west side. About 15 years ago, the city put together a strategic plan that showed it flush with parks. There was only one problem — they were all concentrated in the center of town and to the east. There's no mystery there. Starting with Depot Park on Route 58, they've historically developed along railways and waterways, Baumann said. City Council has lamented over the years that more parks are needed for residents who live on the west edge of town. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.