City of Cincinnati Mill Creek Greenway Program
Clean Ohio Conservation Fund Project at Caldwell Park Complete

This fall, Mill Creek Restoration Project (MCRP) completed work on a major streambank and floodplain restoration program designed to protect Mill Creek water quality and aquatic habitat and to improve ecological conditions in the southwest corner of Caldwell Park. The recreational park is owned by the City of Cincinnati and located in the Carthage neighborhood.

The $275,000 project included stabilization of 340 linear feet of eroding streambanks and restoration of the adjacent floodplain, located immediately upstream of the North Bend Road bridge over Mill Creek. Prior to the project, site conditions included a degraded floodplain due to other construction activity, and fifteen-feet high, severely eroding streambanks that have caused continued loss of park property and trees. The bank erosion also caused increased sediment loads to the stream, impairing water quality and adversely impacting aquatic life.

MCRP awarded the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund design/build contract for the project to Robbin B. Sotir and Associates, an internationally recognized soil bioengineering firm. Sotir designed and supervised construction of the project and subcontracted with Environmental Quality Resources (EQR) to install it. EQR is a Maryland contractor that specializes in construction of ecological restoration projects.

Soil bioengineering is a highly effective method for restoring streambanks and achieving other ecological objectives, including improved wildlife habitat, enhanced aesthetics, and increased shade along the creek. The approach is based on sound engineering, hydrology and ecology, and employs vegetation with good root systems to stabilize the slopes and soils.

The Clean Ohio Conservation Fund contributed $203,271 towards the project and MCRP provided $71,419 in required local matching funds and inkind contributions. MCRP’s local match included $56,639 in cash from the City’s Mill Creek Greenway Program, individual donors to MCRP, and a U.S. EPA stormwater grant. MCRP and its partners contributed $14,780 in inkind services and materials, including fieldwork labor by 54 students and teachers from Clark Montessori, a Cincinnati Public School. Other invaluable Clean Ohio partners for this project include the Cincinnati Park Board and the City Recreation Commission.

In 2004, under its first Clean Ohio grant, MCRP completed extensive restoration of the floodplain forest at Caldwell Park and stabilized 175 linear feet of streambanks, immediately upstream of the 2008 project.

2008 soil bioengineering installation in background, adjacent to the 2004 Clean Ohio site in the foreground, covered by vegetation.

Photos courtesy of Robbin B. Sotir and Associates.