EnviroScience Achieves Historic ODOT Milestone

We are thrilled to announce that EnviroScience has achieved a significant milestone in environmental restoration with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). The Interagency Review Team (IRT), a panel comprised of representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the Ohio EPA (OHEPA), and other federal and state agencies, has officially approved the release of 6.0 Category 3 wetland credits at ODOT’s Mud Lake Wetland Mitigation Bank in Medina County.

This project marks the first time in ODOT’s history that a wetland mitigation bank has been established. A wetland mitigation bank is a site where wetlands are restored, created, or preserved to compensate for unavoidable impacts to wetlands in other areas, ensuring that these critical ecosystems are protected for future generations.

EnviroScience was honored to lead the design-build team for this groundbreaking project. Our team began by scouring multiple potential sites, ultimately selecting a parcel owned by the Medina County Park District. While the site, previously used for agriculture, held immense potential for restoration, it also posed several challenges. The presence of railroad tracks, a gas line easement, and access road issues required innovative solutions.

Our experts conducted extensive site investigations, including wetland delineations (to map out existing wetlands), soil surveys, and groundwater assessments. We also delved into the history of the land with a title search and gathered data from similar ecological sites for reference. Once the ideal site was confirmed, EnviroScience took charge of the comprehensive design process, prepared the initial project prospectus, and expertly guided the project through the rigorous IRT review process.

Construction of the Mud Lake Wetland Mitigation Bank was completed in 2024, and the site is now in its first year of post-construction monitoring. This means we’re carefully tracking the progress of the newly restored wetlands to ensure they develop into thriving ecosystems that meet regulatory standards.

This achievement is a testament to our team’s expertise and commitment to environmental stewardship. We are proud to have set a precedent with ODOT’s first-ever wetland mitigation bank and look forward to continuing our work in restoring and preserving Ohio’s valuable wetland resources.

For more information about how EnviroScience can help with the ecological restoration of your project, visit https://www.enviroscienceinc.com/services/ecological-restoration/.

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Few environmental firms in the country retain EnviroScience’s degree of scientific know-how, talent, and capability under one roof. The diverse backgrounds of our biologists, environmental engineers, scientists, and divers enable us to provide comprehensive in-house services and an integrated approach to solving environmental challenges—saving clients time, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality results.

Our client guarantee is to provide “Excellence in Any Environment,” meaning no matter what we do, we will deliver on our Core Values of respect, client advocacy, quality work, accountability, teamwork, and safety. EnviroScience was created with the concept that we could solve complex problems by empowering great people. This concept still holds true today as our scientists explore the latest environmental legislation and regulations and incorporate the most up-to-date technology to gather and report data.

EnviroScience expertise includes but is not limited to aquatic surveys (including macroinvertebrate surveys and biological assessments); ecological restoration; ecological services (including impact assessments, invasive species control, and water quality monitoring); emergency response; engineering and compliance services; endangered mussel surveys; laboratory and analysis; stormwater management; sustainability services; threatened and endangered species; and wetlands and streams (including delineation and mitigation). Further, EnviroScience is one of the few biological firms in the country that is a general member of the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI) and offers full-service commercial diving services.

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