|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Euclid Creek |
|
|
The
Euclid Creek Watershed is a headwater
tributary to Lake Erie. It is not a part of a river system, but instead
drains directly to Lake Erie. The watershed has evolved over the
past 100 years to one of the more highly urbanized
areas along the Lake Erie coastline. Just like urban streams all around Cuyahoga County, Euclid Creek has begun to feel the impact of urbanization on sustaining function and ecological integrity as a healthy water body for its residents and Lake Erie. . |
|
         |
| Euclid Creek is a 24 sq. mile watershed that falls mostly within Cuyahoga Co., but with some headwaters beginning in Lake Co | |||
 |
Eleven communities, with 67,000 residents, live within the Euclid Creek
watershed. Population densities that range from 792 to 6,000 people per square mile illustrate the urban and suburban nature of the watershed. Over 11,000 residential properties are located on lots smaller than a quarter acre. The Euclid Creek Watershed maintains many natural and biological resources despite its urban setting. It runs along three ecological landscapes: coastal plains, valleys and escarpments, and upland plateaus. Each of these landscapes provides unique ecological resources. An important aspect of Euclid Creek is its nearly 40 headwater streams in the upper reaches of the watershed. These headwaters provide valuable services for storm water management, pollution filtration and habitat connections to the main stems of the creek. Portions of Euclid Creek fall within the Cleveland Metroparks Euclid Creek Reservation. The southern portion of Cleveland Metroparks Euclid Creek Reservation is the site of the abandoned village of Bluestone, which flourished in the late 1800s and early 1900s. |
|
Its
inhabitants quarried the prized blue-gray stone for use
in construction and in building sidewalks, some of which still remain throughout
surrounding neighborhoods. The area also includes stands of rare rock chestnut, part of a densely wooded environment that supports a renewed wildlife population. Some of the inhabitants making a comeback in the watershed include bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, wild turkey, coyote, beaver, red fox, and white-tailed deer. A local group interested in the protection and restoration of Euclid Creek is “Friends of Euclid Creek”. |
|
|
(Excerpted
from ODNR, Division of Natural Areas and Preserves) |
|||
| For more information, you can access their website at friendsofeuclidcreek.nhlink.net or through Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District’s website at www.cuyahogaswcd.org. |
| I home I What's a watershed? I What affects water quality? I monitoring water quality I What can I do? I Teachers I credits I | ||||
| Copyright 2006 WVIZ/PBS ideastream. All rights reserved. | ||||
