About

Use the tabs above for additional information on the Delaware Run and its potential restoration.

The restoration of Delaware Run adjacent to Ohio Wesleyan’s campus has been investigated over the past five years. The Run was channelized more than a century ago, and the channel walls are old and in poor shape. Delaware Run, in general, is facing growing problems with flooding (due to upstream development with, apparently, inadequate controls on run-off), contamination with lawn chemicals and agricultural runoff, and contamination with e. Coli.

Presentation on Delaware Run: Updated Spring 2020

The general idea of restoring this stretch of Delaware Run is to provide a means of capturing some of the growing quantity of water while filtering contaminants in the water before they reach the adjacent Olentangy River.

Ideally, this stretch of Delaware Run could be tied to restoration options further upstream. Ideally, the area of Delaware Run along campus could become an outdoor lab, for University and K-12 projects, focused on riparian and water issues. Thus this project would serve both environmental and educational purposes.

Ultimately, this regional approach to the Delaware Run is similar to what are being called Sponge Cities: urban waterway redesign to cope with climate change, water, and water quality.

Delaware Run Storm Drain Net Project – News, Photos, Videos

OWU and City of Delaware Storm Drain Net Collaboration (OWU E&S Blog, Feb. 1, 2019)

Students and faculty have been working a project to implement a storm drain net in the Delaware Run on campus. The purpose of the net will be to remove trash and green waste/debris from the Delaware Run behind Merrick on campus.

Net Placed in Delaware Run; City, OWU Seek to Improve Waterway (Delaware Gazette, Sept. 10, 2019)

Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware partner on student’s stream study project (This Week Community News, Sept. 13, 2019)

Delaware Run Storm Drain Net Installed and Catching Crap! (OWU E&S Blog, Sept. 25, 2019)

Update after the net was installed in early September 2019. Includes video.

Environmental Impact: Ohio Wesleyan Student Earns Litter Prevention Award for Storm Drain Net (OWU Press Release, December 6, 2019)

Fall 2019 Debris Gallery: Below is a gallery of sorted debris collected in September and October of 2019. The net is unloaded and allowed to dry (for weighing the organic and non-organic material) then sorted. The organic material is returned to Delaware Run. There have been almost no fish or insects or other lifeforms in the debris collections.

Delaware Run Flooding April 3, 2017

Dr. Amador Rowley (Geography) looking quite concerned about Delaware Run flooding along the north side of OWU’s campus. There is not typically a lake (with ducks) in this location. The channelized stream bed can be seen in the background, in front of the stone wall.

Below find an image of the Delaware Run as it emerges from under (!) downtown. The water level is about 2′ t0 3′ above normal. Notice the stone walls on the left beginning to erode away.

Continued development upstream, with inadequate stormwater retention, has led Delaware Run to flood at an increasing rate. Restoration of wetlands and other remediation efforts are part of the Delaware Run master plan, currently under development.

Blog Postings, Student Project, Spring 2014

Blog postings by Date with Topic: Spring 2014 Student Project (postings below)

W 2 17: Proposal Draft
S 2 19: Terminology
M 3 24 / W 3 26: Field Work
M 3 31 / W 4 2: Field Work
M 4 7: Beginning Issues
M 4 7 / W 4 9: Field Work
M 4 12: Field Work and Lab work|
W 4 14: Final Day of Tree Fieldwork
M 4 21 W 4 23: Lab Day and Fieldwork
W 4 23: Final Maps with all trees and soil sites
M 4 28: Final Map Drafts

S 5 4: Additional Information Gathered

Tree Information
Wall Observation
Restoration and Clean up
Historical Site
Soil Samples

M 5 5: Final Project

PDF
PAGE

Final Project PDF:

tumblr_mctalko

So close, Almost done!!

Page Link:

DelawareRunRestoration-1(1)

Direct Link:

https://sites.owu.edu/delawarerun/wp-content/uploads/sites/73/2014/05/DelawareRunRestoration-11.pdf

 

Soil Samples:

IMG_0930 IMG_0931 IMG_0932 IMG_0933 IMG_0934 IMG_0935 IMG_0936 IMG_0937 IMG_0938

Historical Site (Fill not confirmed):

Historicsite

Restoration and clean up:

cleanup2-1 cleanup

Damaged Wall Observational:

damagedwall1-2 damagedwall6 damagedwall5-1 damagedwall4 damagedwall3-1 damagedwall2-1

Additional Tree Information:

Arboretum with GPS coords(1)