Life Depends on Water black watershed

Black River

Located in north central Ohio, the Black River Watershed encompasses about two-thirds of Lorain County, about a third of Medina County and a very small portion of both Huron and Ashland Counties. It drains 470 square miles of land, with land use ranging from agricultural and rural in the south and urban and industrial in the north. Development pressure from the greater Cleveland area in the east continues to threaten water quality in the Black River Watershed.In 1984, the entire Black River watershed was listed as an Area of Concern (AOC) by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) because of pollution in the river.

Contaminated sediments in the river from industrial sources such as PAHs (polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons), PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and mercury can become imbedded in the sediments limiting fish consumption in this area. For more information on these contaminant s, visit the US EPA's "Critical Contaminants in the Great Lakes"

Land disturbances associated with high residential growth rate and intensive agricultural practices are a particular water quality problem. The sub-basins in the upper Black River watershed have seen more than 20% of their land eroding at a rate of 5 tons per acre per year or more. Over 17,000 acres are eroding at "excessive" levels in these areas with cropland accounting for 82% of this number. Improperly working home sewage and semi-public sewage treatment systems are also impacting water quality in the Black River.

A wide variety of land is preserved within the watershed including many township and city parks as well as county parks. Preserved lands within Lorain Metro Parks include Black River, Caley, Carlisle, French Creek, and Indian Hollow Reservations. Medina County Parks within the watershed include East Fork Nature Preserve, Hidden Hollow Park and Letha House Park.

The Main Stem

The East and West Branches of the Black River flow north until they join to form the main stem at Cascade Park in Elyria. From there, the river flows 16 more miles north to its outlet at Lake Erie in the City of Lorain.

The largest tributary in the watershed is French Creek. It drains the Avon and Sheffield area and is an important natural resource to the watershed. For more information see “Living Along French Creek” (pdf).

Dredging of the Lorain Harbor by the US Army Corps of Engineers occurs on a two-year cycle and removes approximately 160,000 cubic yards of sediment. Contaminated sediments are deposited in the 58-acre Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) in the harbor. A multi-member committee is developing a plan for the re-use of the CDF. Future plans may include a waterfront park.

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The East Branch

The East Branch of The Black River runs north, towards Lake Erie. It flows from Sullivan Township through Lodi, Spencer, LaGrange, and Grafton into Elyria where it meets the West Branch at Cascade Park.

There are seven tributaries of the East Branch. They include: the West Fork of the East Branch in the Medina County townships of Sullivan and Homer, the East Fork of the East Branch in Harrisville and Chatham Townships, the Coon Creek in Spencer Township, the Crow Creek in Litchfield Township, the Salt Creek in Grafton Township, and the Willow Creek that runs across the northern boundary of Easton Township.

			The West Branch The West Branch of the Black River begins in Troy, Rochester, and Huntington Townships flowing from the tributaries of Charlemont and Buck Creeks. Wellington Creek meets the West Branch and Elk Creek near the four corners of LaGrange, Pittsfield, New Russia, and Carlisle Townships. Plum Creek drains the land area around the City of Oberlin and meets with the West Branch in Carlisle Township.


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		Sources: NOACA (http://www.noaca.org/blkrap.html) and US EPA (http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/aoc/blackriver.html)



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