11/15/17 – 5:15 A.M.

The Maumee Watershed Conservancy District is now accepting bids for the first round of work on flood mitigation efforts along the Blanchard River in Findlay. The Courier reports the District is looking for a company to remove trees and brush from around 15 acres of land. The flood reduction plans call for the construction of “benches” to widen the river, increasing its capacity.

Findlay owns most of the land that needs clearing. The Conservancy District is negotiating with one private property owner. Adam Hoff of Stantec Engineering says they need to remove the trees by March 31. The EPA would ban clearing after that because of the nesting season of the endangered Indiana brown bat. If crews miss the deadline, they’ll have to wait until next October to resume.

The clearing plan calls for crews to cut trees down to their stump along part of the river. They would leave the stump in place for soil retention until the construction of the river benches. Once the work finishes, crews would plant appropriate vegetation along the river.

MORE: The Courier