Black River Watershed

07/14/2026

Lorain County Ohio Government - Last week the Black River AOC Advisory Committee took a major step by authorizing a letter to the Ohio Lake Erie Commission and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency supporting the "Delisting" of the Black River as an Area of Concern.

Last week the last of the Beneficial Use Impairments had been removed clearing the way for this step. Now the USEPA and partner agencies will be reviewing the documents to confirm if the Black River is ready for delisting. Over the coming weeks updates on the process will be added.

07/09/2026

After decades of work by hundreds of people the last of the Beneficial Use Impairments (BUI) have been removed clearing the way to request delisting.

🌊Final BUI removed from the Black River AOC!

The Degradation of Benthos BUI was officially removed from the Black River Area of Concern. This marks the last of 9 BUIs, or impairments of the ecological use of the Black River, to be removed. The Black River AOC is now eligible to delist!🎉

Read the official press release 👉https://lakeerie.ohio.gov/home/news-and-events/all-news/final-bui-black-river-aoc

Black River AOC Advisory Committee I U.S. EPA Great Lakes Region

04/13/2026

Join us at Cascade Park for a 2-mile, Level 3 hike to the base of West Falls, where we’ll help clean up litter that has washed onto the rocks. Gloves and trash bags are provided, and the hike covers paved and rocky terrain; register at tinyurl.com/Cascade-Waterfall-Cleanup.

04/11/2026

Join us out at VOL Clubhouse. Open til 3pm.

02/06/2026

The Lorain County Stormwater Management District partners with the different entities in Lorain County to develop and manage a cost-effective program to more effectively manage stormwater drainage and flooding issues throughout the County. The District works outdoors in ALL weather with possible e

01/02/2026

Lorain County Ohio Government - Foster Ditch project is partially complete. The H2Ohio funded portions have been fully excavated and ground has been temporarily stabilized. These two sections will be fully seeded once the weather breaks.

This project was made possible with funding from the Lorain County Commissioners, State of Ohio Department of Agriculture H2Ohio funding, the LaGrange Township Trustees and each of the property owners along the ditch.

Upon completion this project will improve drainage for more than 1,400 acres of land, improve about 1.6 miles of ditch and reduce flooding along Whitney Road near SR 301 and along the entire length of the ditch improvement.

Self forming channel ditch is incorporated providing water quality benefits as well as detention within the ditch. https://h2.ohio.gov/water-quality-projects/managing-nutrients/conservation-ditches-building-a-better-channel

01/02/2026

Saw this the first time it was shown and learned a lot. Both the film and discussion were very good. Plastic pollution is often seen as an eye-sore and a nuisance clogging drains. This film shows that it is more than the eye can see.

Plastic pollution affects more than what we can see. Ripples of Plastic reveals how microplastics move through the Great Lakes region and impact both the environment and human health. Watch this nationally recognized documentary on Sat., Jan. 17, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm at French Creek Nature Center, followed by a discussion with local conservation professionals. Admission is free with registration at https://tinyurl.com/Ripples-of-Plastic-at-LCMP