Reno Beach Presentation

Click here to view the PDF of the Presentation

To our dear neighbors of Jerusalem Township,

On July 11, 2019, representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers met with the Township Trustees—at our request. We also invited representatives from the Howard Marsh Metropark, the Reno Beach / Howard Farms Conservancy (responsible for the maintenance of a substantial portion, but not all of the dikes in the Township) as well as a Reporter and a Photographer from the Community Press.

We—the Trustees of Jerusalem Township serving you—are concerned about the record high water levels of Lake Erie and the potential effect on our dikes. We asked the Army Corps of Engineers for their expert opinion of our dike system. Our intent is to identify any risk areas and address them as quickly as possible in order to protect you and your property.

The Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) discussed many aspects of dikes and levees in general: the importance of dikes, how they are constructed, factors that can contribute to potential weakening of dikes, how the ACE assesses risk, and what constitutes an Emergency Action Plan.

Further, the Army Corps of Engineers assigned a “Medium Urgency of Action” risk score to our dike system. They indicated there are areas of unwanted vegetation on some portions of the dikes where roots could penetrate and weaken the dike structure. They also indicated that there are areas of “poor animal control” where animal burrowing could weaken the dike structure. They are also concerned about dikes where the slope may be unstable or where inspectors cannot see all areas of the dike to ensure its integrity.

The Army Corps of Engineers emphasized that our dike system is a combination of US Government built dikes and privately built dikes. However, the entire system must remain intact and stable to protect the Township Residents and their property. This is called Flood Risk Management (FRM) and it is very much a shared responsibility.

In our Township, this requires the collaboration and coordination of:

  • US Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reno Beach / Howard Farms Conservancy
  • The State of Ohio
  • Private property owners

The Army Corps of Engineers presented their information in a Powerpoint. They did not provide us with a list of dike (levee) locations that showed signs of erosion or other deterioration. Following the meeting, Mark Sattler contacted the Army Corps of Engineers and requested the following:

  1. The Powerpoint presentation we saw
  2. The full ACE report with the locations of all areas at risk

On Friday, August 9, Mark Sattler received the powerpoint presentation and asked that it be posted on the Township web site. Anyone may view the entire powerpoint presentation at the following link: https://twp.jerusalem.oh.us/reno-beach-presentation.pdf. The Army Corps of Engineers has not yet shared the full ACE report showing the locations of all areas of risk. As soon as the Trustees receive it, we will begin addressing the areas of concern and share the information with you, our Township Residents.

In the meantime, your Township Trustees stand ready to talk with you and answer any questions we can. All of the contact information for each of us (including personal cell phone number) is available on the Township website: https://twp.jerusalem.oh.us/trustees/ or https://twp.jerusalem.oh.us/township-directory/.

Please, be assured that we are doing everything possible to ensure protection of you and your property. At this time, many of you probably have the same questions as us: “Where are the problems, what can be done to fix them, and how quickly?” We are making preparations but we do not yet have the necessary information to take effective action. As soon as we have the information, we will begin addressing the risk areas as rapidly as possible.

Serving you,

Mark Sattler
Trustee

David Bench
Trustee

Beau Miller
Trustee