Starting in March of 2022, 1,500 feet of Doan Brook and over 5 acres of surrounding land was restored at Sowkinski Park. The park is located in the lower watershed in Rockefeller Park and the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. The area is open for the public to enjoy, and sits right behind the Latvian Cultural Garden. 

There was a large push for local engagement to get input and support from the local community for this project. By engaging local residents in the restoration, the hope was to create an area that is ecological beneficial, but also a place that the community can visit and use. We accomplished this engagement using “hikeshops” in partnership with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, University Circle Inc., and the Famicos Organization. These “hikeshops” were meetings on site to learn about the cultural and ecological importance of Sowinski Park in its location in the Cultural Gardens and along the Doan Brook.

This project was completed through the combined efforts of local residents in the Sowinski neighborhood, University Circle Inc, Famicos Organization, Doan Brook Watershed Partnership, Chagrin River Watershed Partnership,  Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEOSRD), City of Cleveland Water Pollution Control , City of Cleveland Capital Projects, City of Cleveland Parks and Recreation, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, and Cleveland Cultural Gardens. This project was funded through an Ohio EPA Section 319 Grant Program, with matching funding provided by the NEORSD.

Park restoration in progress. February 24, 2023

Sandstone walls currently line much of the lower Doan Brook as it flows through the Cultural Gardens. The installation of these walls had cut off the connection of the brook from its surrounding
floodplain. The walls had also cut off floodplain habitat from the brook’s fish and invertebrates that need this habitat for a variety of reasons. In several areas along Doan Brook, these walls are collapsing due to repeated flooding and increased flow rates that follow after heavy rainfall. Continuing erosion of the sandstone walls is a major concern for much of the brook in the Cultural Gardens. With the frequency of heavy storms increasing, it was important to create a solution to address the failing walls, reconnect the brook to its floodplain and to help reduce local flooding. At the Sowinski Park project site, these failing walls were lowered or removed altogether, in order to allow the brook to reconnect so that they were even with the new floodplain area. A new path for the river was carved with some curves to allow for a more natural flow that slows down the speed of the water. This gives plants time to filter and clean the water as it flows, allows for some of the water to soak into the ground, and will reduce the speed to reduce streambank the erosion downstream. Finally, a section of the original stream channel was repurposed into a vernal pool wetland to provide further riparian habitat. Overall, this project improves the water quality, providing a better habitat for the fish, amphibians, insects, mammals, and birds that call Doan Brook subwatershed home.

Restoration site after 1 year, May 22nd, 2024

A tiered floodplain was created to contain different levels for flooding and creates a diverse floodplain habitat. Having different levels in the floodplain allows the ecosystem to handle different amounts of rain and severity of storms. Native plants, shrubs, and trees planted in and around the floodplain to restore habitat along the brook. These plants filter the water and pollutants that collect from upstream, especially since the area around Sowinski Park has many impervious surfaces such as roads, parking lots, and roofs. The new plants will also help hold the riverbank in place with their root systems, reducing the amount of erosion at the site. New trees and plants will continue to be planted along the restored area as a part of ensuring the restoration is successful. The Doan Brook Watershed
Partnership and its partners believe that the Sowinski Park stream restoration project will serve as a template for continued restoration efforts along Doan Brook.

 

Click here for photos of the restoration in progress.

 

This project was financed in part through a grant from the State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, under the provisions of Section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act.