Etna Township trustees vote to drain pond, then learn it's on U.S. wetlands inventory

The Etna Township Trustees approved draining a pond on township-owned land that is causing flooding for an adjacent property owner, but that decision could be complicated by the fact that the pond is on a national wetlands registry, according to county soil and water experts.

Trustees Rozland McKee and Jeff Johnson voted April 18 to allow township employees to drain and fill a pond on land that is slated to become a park on Smoke Road north of U.S. 40. Trustee Mark Evans voted against the move.

At a previous meeting, a township resident spoke to the board about the pond causing drainage problems for his property adjacent to the north. Etna Administrator Nita Hanson said at last week's meeting that the township had considered several options to address the problem, which had been ongoing for a number of years prior to the township purchasing the property in August.

The options, Hanson said, included requesting a proposal from an outside company to remediate the issue or having township personnel drain the pond, dredge it and refill it.

"Either of these options would require fairly extensive remediation to the drain system that is currently in place, as well as future monitoring and perhaps future remediation," she said.

Hanson said a representative from the Licking County Soil and Water Conservation District told her there would be no problem with a plan for township employees to drain the pond, fill it in with dirt and plant grass. She said the pond serves no aesthetic or recreational purpose.

Besides the problems for the neighboring property, Hanson said there is a liability with Watkins Memorial High School and Watkins Intermediate School on the other side of Smoke Road.

"It would seem to make sense from a safety standpoint to fill the pond and add to the green space that will be part of the park," she said.

But Kristy Hawthorne, program administrator for the soil and water district, later told The Advocate that the pond is on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Wetlands Inventory.

"Therefore, it's not just as simple as draining the pond and filling it in," she said.

Hawthorne said she and the district's stormwater manager, Linda Nicodemus, spoke with McKee and Hanson April 19, the day following the meeting, and explained the process necessary for filling in the pond if they continue with that option.

Nicodemus said the township would need a permit to drain the area. But first Etna would need to hire a consultant to identify the type of wetland because that determines who issues the permit.

If it's an isolated wetland, the permit comes from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. But if the wetlands feed into a tributary, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issues the permit.

Also by filling it in, Nicodemus said the township would essentially have to make up for the lost wetlands by enhancing an existing wetlands area or creating a new one somewhere else.

Hawthorne said that during their meeting, she and Nicodemus shared information about improving the wetlands to create an educational component inside the eventual park.

Enhancing the pond, Nicodemus said, would prevent water from overflowing onto the adjacent property after a large rain event.

"This is a way that they could help remediate that problem in a natural and positive solution," Nicodemus said.

The properties the township intends to use for the park have a total of five wetlands, all of which are on the national wetlands registry, Nicodemus said. If the township decides to upgrade them, it could receive grant funding to assist the project, she said.

It would also provide a hands-on learning space for the two Southwest Licking schools, and classes could visit the eventual park to learn about wetlands and see wildlife up close, she said.

"It's such a learning experience and an environment that they can help provide the schools next door," Nicodemus said.

During the meeting, Evans shared concerns that the pond might be spring fed. By removing the pond, the water would go elsewhere, potentially onto the neighbor's property. He said it would be a huge mistake to fill in the pond.

"It's a beautiful, natural feature. We're treating the township like a flip house, like just fill it in, just do whatever," Evans said.

Johnson said it didn't make sense to him that Evans was against filling in the pond because during the previous meeting Evans was adamant something needed to be done about it.

With the pond so close to Smoke Road, Johnson had concerns that people will park on the road to fish once the park is complete.

"Is that what we want to see? A bunch of people fishing around that pond right in the front of our nice park? I'd rather have them going to the back of the park to fish," Johnson said. "It's not like it's serving any purpose at this point. If we didn't have any ponds, I say 'Yeah, it's a great thing, keep it.' We have several ponds in the back of the park."

mdevito@gannett.com

740-607-2175

Twitter: @MariaDeVito13

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Etna votes to drain pond, then learn it's on U.S. wetlands inventory