MWCD fighting shoreline erosion at Charles Mill, Atwood, Seneca Lakes

BY JD LONG (jim@harrisonnewsherald.com)

NEW PHILADELPHIA—The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District Master Plan’s Phase II has been in full swing ever since completing Phase I — one of the group’s biggest projects. And Chief Engineer Boris Slogar reminded the board of the roughly $65 million involved in the second phase. He touched on the Tappan Lake Marina that continues to wind down, stating a “substantial” completion date later in September. The original deadline was intended for late June but was pushed back by two months, well into August. But that deadline was also not met, and now things are looking to be ready sometime this month. “And so our list is growing [and] things are moving smoothly,” Slogar said about the projects moving forward.

Slogar also touched on the District’s dredging projects, stating it was close to wrapping up. He said they were working on obtaining more capacity under the current contract because some work is near private property. Additionally, the Conservancy District is moving forward with shoreline stabilization projects at Charles Mill, Atwood, and Seneca Lakes. Slogar said the two projects at Charles Mill feature sizable stretches of shore — one being 1,800 feet and another for 550 feet. The two projects range from 2 to 10 feet in vertical length, with native grass plantings and fiber core logs being used in restoring shores and preventing erosion.

Slogar said they had originally started with around 600 projects and have now eliminated around 115. “We targeted the worst of the worst coming out of the gate, but it just continues as you can imagine with 350 miles of shoreline, there’s always something that needs attention,” Slogar explained. “It’s been a very successful program.”

When asked how the next project is determined, Slogar said safety issues dictate that order as they look at what might be threatened, such as a utility or a structure. But erosion, especially near a roadway, was their highest priority concern, adding that the shoreline was being lost due to sediment issues.

“A factor that also impacts how we prioritize is, ‘Can we get to the project’? We have some locations that are remote, so it could cost us almost as much to build a road to get the project as it can to fix the project,” he told the board. “So, you know, that’s something that we take into consideration.”