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 A
large percentage of the Great Lakes drainage basin has
received drainage improvement for agricultural production.
At least 50% of Ohio’s cropland has received drainage
improvement, while the north central and northwestern portions
of Ohio’s Lake Erie drainage basin are nearly 100%
artificially drained. In these highly productive agricultural
areas, most natural channels have been deepened and straightened
to facilitate flow of water from agricultural subsurface
drainage outlets and to maximize conveyance.
Based on research
performed by a multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary
team of scientists and engineers, a promising alternative
two-stage ditch design has been developed. A few two-stage
ditches have been constructed, and The Ohio State University
and ODNR plan to conduct a series of workshops on this
alternative approach. At the STREAMS
conference (October
6 and 7, 2003, in Columbus Ohio) a luncheon will be held
to discuss drainage concerns within the region
and to plan workshops and forums on this topic.
About
the Project
A team of scientists and engineers
at OSU, ODNR, Ohio EPA, Heidelberg College, the University
of Findley, and several other organizations are studying
how knowledge of natural stream concepts might be used to
make
drainage ditches more self-maintaining, improve water quality,
and also enhance the ecology of these systems.
The geographical area under study
is the southern part of the Portage River Basin, marked
in green
on the map shown above. (Click on the map for a more detailed
view.)  This
Web site, which is still under development, contains the
preliminary information from this multi-disciplinary team's
ongoing studies.
Sections include:
- Project Details - Summary of this research
and its purpose
- Research Topics - Information on the
Geomorphology, Ecology, and Water Quality Characterization studies currently
underway
- Outreach & Education - Links to
facts sheets, articles, and information from recent workshops
and meetings
- Major Finding - Result summaries from
the Geomorphology, Ecology, and Water Quality Characterization studies
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Funded by the 
