The Holden Arboretum East Branch Chagrin River Stream Restoration Project

Published: 12 February 2013
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Before: 10 foot tall levee blocked East Branch's floodplain access  After:  Restored East Branch streambank
 
In 2005, Holden Arboretum purchased 50 acres along Wisner Road, north of Kirtland Chardon Road.  The property includes a mix of natural areas and farm buildings and supports an ongoing horse stable operation.  Nearly a half mile of the State Scenic East Branch of the Chagrin River flows through the property.  Previous owners developed a 385 foot long and 10 foot tall earthen levee that prevented the river from accessing a 3 acre floodplain.  Two small streams to the East Branch were channelized and modified by past land uses.
 
In 2013, Holden Arboretum worked with CRWP and Lake SWCD to select and hire a contractor to remove the levee, restore an accessible floodplain, restore a headwater stream and stabilize a second headwater stream.  After earthwork was completed Holden Arboretum staff planted thousands of tree and shrub species to ensure this floodplain is stable and provides a wide range of water quality and flood management functions.
 
 
The Holden Arboretum is a non-profit organization established in 1931 by people of vision and great generosity, who understood the importance of protecting precious green spaces and natural resources for future generations. At the time of its creation, the Arboretum encompassed just 100 acres. Today Holden Arboretum contains over 3,600 acres of which over 2,800 acres are natural areas. In addition, the Arboretum stewards 1,400 acres through conservation easements. Over 95% of the land holdings and easements are within the East Branch of the Chagrin River watershed.
This product or publication was financed in part or totally through a grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, under the provisions of Section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act. The contents and views, including any opinions, findings, or conclusions or recommendation, contained in this publication are those of the authors and have not been subject to any U.S. EPA or Ohio EPA peer or administrative review and may not necessarily reflect the views of either Agency, and no official endorsement should be inferred.