At Work | 2011
Summary of maintenance and special projects completed in 2011.
Dredging Dam IV-A
After almost thirty years of providing flood protection and collecting sediment, Chippewa Flood Control Dam IV-A had sediment levels which were impeding the storage capacity and needed to be removed.
Dredging Dam 5-D
Chippewa Flood Control Dam 5-D is another dam which required removal of sediment to restore the pool area to its original elevations. Although the water was drained from both lakes in November 2010, sediment removal occurred at Dam IV-A in Medina County in December and at Dam 5-D in Wayne County in January, 2011. Sediment removal at both dams is near completion.
At Work | 2011
Since the beginning of the Chippewa Flood Control System, and during the past twenty-five years, much of the needed maintenance could not be completed as planned due to lack of funding. This caused many of the channel banks to become overgrown with woody vegetation, which made it near to impossible to maintain the banks or the culverts installed for the purpose of draining the floodwaters. In addition, as trees grew, many would lose branches or fall into the channel causing log jams, bank erosion, and more localized areas of flooding due to the inability of the stream flow to get through the blockage.
Maintaining the 33 miles of channel helps to ensure that flood waters will recede from the land, quickly and efficiently.
During the past ten years, an effort by the Chippewa Subdistrict has been made to provide funding through an assessment permitted by the Conservancy District Laws of Ohio.
These assessment dollars, which can only be spent on maintenance of the Chippewa Flood Control Project, have been utilized on several projects designed to return the Project to its original design objectives.
*For activities prior to 2005, contact us.
Maintenance Activities
Maintenance Activities must be done consistently to keep the Flood Control System working properly. Dams and channels must be mowed annually to manage woody growth, and provide access to allow for equipment and inspections. Visit our Dredging Dam IV-A project to see a recent example of maintenance.
When the Chippewa channel was constructed, nearly 500 pipe structures were installed. These structures used corrugated metal pipes (CMP), which vary in diameter and length, and are an integral part of the System as they move runoff water safely into the channel. The CMP pipes have exceeded their lifespan and are being systematically replaced with superior quality pipe, such as high density polypropylene (HDPP) or high density polyethylene (HDPE). These new pipes are intended to last for many decades.
Special Projects
Special Projects vary each year and involve items of work that are outside the usual scope of maintenance. They are necessary to keep pace with new standards and regulations, as well as changes in the Watershed.
Our GPS / GIS mapping is a Special Project allowing us to locate and evaluate nearly 700 hydraulic structures originally installed throughout the channels. When completed, Subdistrict staff will be able to prepare a proactive maintenance schedule to ensure that structures are repaired or replaced before failure occurs.
