In 1995, the village of Chagrin Falls recieved a donation of approximately 80 acres of land, known as the Whitesburg Pond area, from the Ivex Corporation for management of a land preserve. The area is in the northeastern portion of Chagrin Falls. The Chagrin River bisects the property. In August 1994, floodwaters breached a dam located along the river corridor. A private consulting firm was hired by the Village of Chargrin Falls to draft a land-use plan, including the creation of a diverse wetland and fish habitat and a small native Ohio prairie on the site.
Since construction of the dam over 150 years ago, sediment from the Chagrin River has accumulated behind it. When the dam was breached, this sediment was exposed. The Lake Erie Geology Group became involved in the project because of our interest in estimating historical sediment loadings into Lake Erie as part of our cooperative study with the U.S. Geological Survey (see USGS/OGS Lake Erie Coastal Erosion Project).
Click here to download an aerial photo mosaic (450k) of the Whitesburg Pond Area shortly after the breach of the dam.