Fern Hill Stormwater Treatment Wetland Project

The Fern Hill Stormwater Treatment Wetland project is located in Cleveland Metroparks Fern Hill Picnic Area in the Big Creek Reservation, just south of Brookpark Road in the City of Parma. The project is designed to intercept a 36” stormwater outlet to Big Creek that drains over 50 acres of residential neighborhood west of Hauserman Road. The stormwateris diverted into a created wetland that captures, slows and infiltrates its flow and provides water quality treatment.

The $150,000 project, funded through Ohio EPA’s Surface Waters Improvement Fund (SWIF), contains a trail between a pre-treatment cell and the wetland and, in addition to creating wildlife habitat, acts as a demonstration project with interpretive signage.

The project was identified in the Big Creek Watershed Stormwater Retrofit Ranking Project managed by Big Creek Connects/Friends of Big Creek with Tetra Tech, Inc. (www.tetratech.com) as the project consultant. The project assessed and prioritized over 150 potential stormwater retrofit sites identified in the Big Creek Balanced Growth Plan. Its tasks included conceptual design work and cost estimates for the three highest ranking sites, including the Fern Hill project.

This project was a collaboration of the City of Parma, Cleveland Metroparks, and Big Creek Connects (BCC). The City of Parma administered the grant while Cleveland Metroparks managed the project’s engineering and construction. BCC provided support to Cleveland Metroparks in education and outreach and supported this project with a $4,000 cash match, the majority of a donation received from General Motors. Construction began in the spring of 2015.

Key project elements include:

• Final design includes a stormwater treatment wetland, an innovative site BMP (Best Management Practice) that is not commonly implemented
• Water quality treatment for a currently untreated 50-acre watershed which works towards the goals of the lower Cuyahoga River Watershed TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load - a quantitative assessment of water quality problems)
• Highly desirable wetland habitat within the riparian corridor (land adjacent to the creek)
• Demonstration in a heavily used park – an excellent education opportunity

June 2015

July 2017

Cleveland Metroparks Map

Ohio EPA Surface Water Improvement Fund (SWIF) Grants Program

Environmental results:
- Intercepted runoff from storm sewer
- Installed ͂1ac wetland
- Installed 300+ woody plants and 7,100 herbaceous plants
- Detected and responded to water line leaks and illicit discharge
- Conducted project specific public outreach and education

Constructing a wetland

Future stormwater wetland

A lot of rain to test the plan!

Volunteers help with planting. Thanks to GM Green Team and Cleveland Metroparks Watershed Stewards.

Cleveland Metroparks educational signage placed at the site

Detail of interpretive sign