H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program

About this initiative
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has contracted the Wetlands and Water Quality group within the Lake Erie and Aquatic Research Network (LEARN) to develop and implement the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program.
The goal of the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program is to assess nutrient removal of wetland restoration and enhancement projects implemented by the ODNR as part of Governor Mike DeWine’s statewide H2Ohio Initiative. The H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program is assessing how wetland restoration can improve water quality, with a focus on phosphorus and nitrogen, key nutrients that fuel eutrophication and harmful algal blooms across Ohio. The ODNR-implemented wetland projects, part of the H2Ohio Initiative, represent a wide range of wetland types, restoration and construction approaches, and complexity.
To improve wetland design and management into the future, it’s necessary to understand the processes happening within wetlands. This comprehensive approach to determining not only whether a wetland is effective, but also how the wetland systems work, is led by expert scientists from across Ohio. The experts seek to answer these core questions:
- Which types of wetland structure and function provide enhanced nutrient reduction and retention?
- Which wetland restoration approaches maximize cost-effectiveness to mitigate nutrient loads to Ohio water bodies?
- How can wetland restoration be effectively implemented in the future?

Read or download the 2023 H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program update, including a case study of the Burntwood-Lagenkamp Wetland Conservation Area.

The H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program Team is led by Lauren Kinsman-Costello of Kent State University and is made up of Researchers and Administrators from Universities and Agencies across Ohio, including:
- Ganming Liu, Kevin McCluney, Helen Michaels, and W. Robert Midden from Bowling Green State University
- Laura Johnson from Heidelberg University National Center for Water Quality Research
- Raissa Mendonca and Olivia Johnson from Kent State University
- Janice Kerns from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources
- Justin Chaffin, Kristen Fussell, Chris Winslow, and Nicole Wright from Ohio Sea Grant and Ohio State University’s Stone Laboratory
- Richard Becker, Thomas Bridgeman, Kennedy Doro from University of Toledo and UT’s Lake Erie Center
- Stephen Jacquemin and Silvia Newell from Wright State University
In 2021, the team completed version 1.0 of the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Plan, a living document that contains a general framework, structure, rationale, and guiding principles for the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program, and includes: details on the selection of monitored wetland project sites; wetland project site history and restoration approach; data collection and sampling approaches; and protocols for field work and lab analyses. Routine monitoring began with the 2022 field season across 19 wetland project sites.
Help LEARN scientists track phenology (Chronolog) and water level (Crowd Hydrology) at our monitoring sites
The H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Framework↗
Read the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program’s Monitoring Plan.
The H2Ohio Wetland Annual Progress Report↗
Read the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program 2023 Annual Progress Report.
Webinars and Outreach Archives ↗
View past webinars and find outreach materials about the Monitoring Program.
More Info about H2Ohio ↗
Learn more about ODNR’s H2Ohio Wetland Program.

The H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program (H2Ohio WMP) is supported by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lake Restoration Initiative, and the Ohio Water Development Authority. The information, findings, and conclusions in H2Ohio WMP written documents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the State of Ohio.