PEYTON NEELY The Marietta Times Michael Drake, president of The Ohio State University, left, talks with Gary Doan, Muskingum Township trustee, while on board the Valley Gem sternwheeler during the River Stabilization Tour Tuesday morning.

A stream bank and road preservation project along the Muskingum River seems to be working, results that were shared Tuesday by the The Ohio State University Extension Office in Washington County. The office hosted Ohio State President Michael Drake on a river tour to share the progress and the innovative process used to achieve it.

“I spent a lot of time on the rivers where I grew up. Water is an important source for us and we need a reminder of that constantly,” Drake said. “It’s great for our university to work with people to keep our waterways accessible and clean. Protecting the river while protecting our community is critical and this project did just that.”

With the decline in local government funds and increased costs of goods and services, maintaining infrastructure can become difficult.

“The bank along the river doesn’t come down at an angle but rather straight down,” said Muskingum Township Trustee Gary Doan. “We could pay $2.6 million and move the road or we could figure out how to solve the problem.”

After exploring multiple potential options, Muskingum Township was linked up with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District to discuss possible solutions to stream bank erosion which was seriously affecting homeowners and those who traveled along River Road by the Muskingum River.

“Moving the road would only be a Band-aid fix,” said Doan. “We needed to find something that would be successful.”

As flood waters have eroded the riverbank and caused road slippage, many efforts were focused on retaining the stream bank only to find a continued decline. Working with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, the township utilized a new-to-Ohio riparian barrier process. The investment cost $120,000.

The project began with Dynamic Cone Penetration testing to measure soil solidity. Testing was completed to a depth that indicated solid rock and then injection holes were drilled to various depths in patterned grids. A total of 11,175 pounds of environmentally safe and water resistant expansive polymer, or high density polyurethane, were injected down into the soil. After the product expands, it keeps roadways and riverbanks at full capacity. This process was completed in four days with only one lane closed during the day and all lanes open at night.

“We’ve been measuring every quarter how much riverbank has eroded and it’s only moved two hundredths of an inch since 2015 compared to five inches every year,” said Doan. “We are very fortunate to get this done.”

Boris Sloger, chief engineer with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, said that since 2009, the MWCD has worked to put more than $7 million back into the community with projects like this.

“I’m happy that we are active with these types of projects,” he said. “This type of thing will happen everywhere and I hope this process will expand throughout Ohio.”

Sloger said he is meeting with a township trustee in Carroll County next week about this same project.

Joe Kindler with URETEK helped with the injections into the soil.

“Each injection only took about 30 seconds. We could resurface the road every year but that isn’t necessary with this. Many people travel down through River Road and see the temporary fixes made by ODOT. This takes care of that,” he said.

The OSU Extension Office works to connect people with the right resources. Community Development Program Specialist Darlene Lukshin said that they create opportunities through collaboration.

“These collaborations empower communities to solve problems that impact the lives of their residents,” said Lukshin.

Other projects completed over recent years include creating a flood warning system for Duck Creek, a $376,130 investment, and a county-wide infrastructure project, a $4.5 million investment. With nearly 1,684 miles of roads and 375 bridges in Washington County, road transportation infrastructure is a constant challenge, according to Lukshin. Washington County Engineer Roger Wright not only maintains all county roads and bridges but also is a vital part of securing grants for township projects.

“Southeast Ohio isn’t any different than anywhere else but Washington County was blessed with red clay,” he said. “Water rises quickly then goes back down, dragging the sand, dirt and clay with it. I’ve seen so many people going left-of-center to avoid pot holes caused by water erosion.”

Wright said usually riverbank erosion is hard to make a long-term fix for.

“I’m excited this project was a success and I hope this means there will be more projects like this,” he said. “It’s nice this won’t be a repetitive cycle where everyone is constantly putting money into it.”

Drake said he is very impressed with the work the extension office has done along with members of the conservancy district and URETEK who happen to be alumni.

“The alumni entrusted their future with us and we worked to give them the very best quality during their time with us,” he said. “We take great pride to seeing out alums doing excellent things like this to make the community better while showing they care about our state.”

At a glance

Projects and investments locally:

¯ Duck Creek Flood Warning System: $376,130.

¯ Infrastructure: $4.5 million.

¯ Stream Bank/Road Preservation: $120,000.

Source: Darlene Lukshin, community development program specialist.