Representative Troy Announces Over $750,000 to Install Drainage & Restore Disturbed Areas at the Mentor Marsh Salt Fill Site

COLUMBUS- State Rep. Daniel Troy (D-Willowick) Monday  announced that the Controlling Board has approved a $769,765.20 appropriation increase for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to install drainage and restore disturbed areas at the Mentor Marsh Salt Fill Site.

“The salt that was haphazardly and unwisely deposited decades ago into the Mentor Marsh area by private companies has certainly had a very negative environmental impact. The contamination of the Marsh with this harmful material hindered the natural function of wetlands such as this to filter our ground water and ensure a cleaner Lake Erie.  Unfortunately, more salt was discovered, but I am pleased that the Ohio EPA and the Controlling Board have released this additional funding to make sure that the complete remediation and restoration is fully funded and successful,” stated Representative Troy. 

The appropriation increase comes now, and not during the state budget, because at the time the project was not complete and the drainage issue was not anticipated. The contract with the Great Lakes Construction Company will be amended to address the drainage issue, which was observed in April 2023.

Earlier this summer, Representative Troy was at the Mentor Marsh as part of the $500,000 H2Ohio funding announcement that invests in the Mentor Marsh. The funds are used to monitor and remove invasive species and grow native plants that will improve the overall health and quality of the wetland. It supports the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's Mentor Marsh Coastal Restoration Project.

Ohio’s first National Natural Landmark is the Mentor Marsh. It is one of the largest natural marshes along Lake Erie’s shoreline and it is used as a breeding area for Lake Erie fish and a waypoint for migratory birds. In 1966 waste salt was dumped next to the Marsh, creating a “salt fill site.” The environmental effect had a negative impact on trees and vegetation, and disrupted an ecologically diverse, beautiful, forested wetland. State funding will reverse the harmful result of that salt dumping.

Representative Troy is the Ranking Member on the Finance Subcommittee on Agriculture, Development, and Natural Resources; which oversees the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. He previously served five terms as a Lake County Commissioner.