Lower Muskingum River Watershed Management Plan: Meigs Creek Subwatershed Prepared by The Institute for Local Government Administration and Rural Development (ILGARD) At Ohio University Athens, Ohio January 2005 This publication was financed in part by a grant from the Ohio EPA and U.S. EPA under the provisions of Section 319 (h) of the Clean Water Act ACRONYM REFERENCE AEP-American Electric Power EWH-Exceptional Warmwater Habitat AMD-Acid Mine Drainage FEMA-Federal Emergency Management Agency AMDAT-Acid Mine Drainage Abatement and Treatment FLMR-Friends of the Lower Muskingum River AWS-Agricultural Water Supply FWPCA- Federal Water Pollution BMPs-Best Management Practices Control Administration BOD-Biological Oxygen Demand GIS-Geographical Information Systems BH-HVRDD-Buckeye Hills-Hocking HVCRC-Hocking Valley Community Valley Regional Development Residential Center District IBI-Index of Biological Integrity BHTC&D-Buckeye Hills Resource Conservation & Development ICI-Invertebrate Community Index Council ILGARD-Institute for Local Govern- CCC-Civilian Conservation Corps ment Administration & Rural Development COD-Chemical Oxygen Demand IWS-Industrial Water Supply CRC&D-Crossroads Resource Conservation & Development LRW-Limited Resource Water Council LTM-Long-term Monitoring CSO-Combined Sewer Overflow MRAB-Muskingum River Advisory CWH-Coldwater Habitat Board DBH-Diameter Breast Height MRM-Mineral Resources Management DO-Dissolved Oxygen MS-Master’s of Science ECEF- Ely Chapman Educational MWCD-Muskingum Watershed Foundation Conservancy District EPT-Ephemeroptera (mayfly), MWH-Modified Warmwater Habitat Plecoptera (stonefly), Tricoptera (caddisfly) i NEFCO-Northeast Ohio Four County OOGEEP-Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Regional Planning & Education Program Development Organization ORSANCO- Ohio River Sanitary NFIP-National Flood Insurance Commission Program OSM-Offices of Surface Mining NOAA-National Oceanic and -ACSI-Appalachian Clean Atmospheric Administration Streams Initiative NPDES-National Pollutant Discharge OSU-Ohio State University Elimination System OU-Ohio University NPS-Non-point Source Pollution PCBs-Polychlorinated Biphenyls NRCS-Natural Resources Conservation Services PCR-Primary Contact Recreation NTNC-Non-Transient Non-Community POTW-Publicly Owned Treatment Works NTU-National Turbidity Unit PPM-Parts-Per Million OAC-Ohio Administrative Code PWS-Public Water Supply ODNR-Ohio Department of Natural Resources QHEI-Qualitative Habitat -ACSI-Appalachian Clean Evaluation Index Streams Initiative -AML-Abandoned Mine Land RC&D-Resource Conservation DNAP-Division of Natural Areas & Development and Preserves -MRM-Mineral Resources Mgt. RCRIS-Resource Conservation & Recovery Information System ODOD- Ohio Department of Development RECOVER-Regional Coalition for Ohio Valley Environmental ODOT-Ohio Department of Restoration Transportation RM-River Mile OEPA-Ohio Environmental Protection Agency RT&E-Rare Threatened & Endangered -SEP-Supp. Environ. Projects -OEEF- Ohio Environmental SCR-Secondary Contact Recreation Education Fund SEPTA-South-Eastern Probation OES-Order of the Eastern Star Treatment Alternative ii SSH-Seasonal Salmoid Habitat WPCLF-Water Pollution Control Loan Fund STORET-Storage and Retrieval WQPSDs-Water Quality Permit SWAP-Source Water Assessment and Support Documents Protection WQS-Water Quality Standards SWCD-Soil and Water Conservation District WTP-Water Treatment Plant TDS-Total Dissolved Solids WWH-Warmwater Habitat TMDL-Total Maximum Daily Load TNC-Transient Non-Community TOC-Total Organic Carbon TRIS-Toxic Release Inventory Services TSS-Total Suspended Solids USACE-United States Army Corps of Engineers USDA-United States Department of Agriculture -ERC-Economic Research Service USGS-United States Geological Survey USFWS-United States Fish and Wildlife Service VISTA-Volunteers in Service to America WET-Whole Effluent Toxicity WLA-Waste Load Allocation WNF-Wayne National Forest iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYM REFERNCE.................................................................................................... i LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii LIST OF MAPS ................................................................................................................. ix LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................................x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................ xii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................1 PURPOSE OF PLAN..............................................................................................1 Watershed Stakeholder Involvement ...........................................................2 SECTION I. LOWER MUSKINGUM RIVER WATERSHED INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................3 WATERSHED DESCRIPTION..............................................................................3 Geographic Locators....................................................................................3 CURRENT PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT..................................................5 SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY...............................................11 HISTORY ..............................................................................................................11 Transportation............................................................................................11 The Flood of 1913......................................................................................12 Natural Resource Exploration....................................................................12 CULTURAL RESOURCES..................................................................................14 Significant Historical Sites ........................................................................14 Significant Cultural Sites...........................................................................14 Significant Recreational Sites....................................................................15 DEMOGRAPHICS................................................................................................16 Population ..................................................................................................16 Educational Attainment .............................................................................17 Economic Characteristics...........................................................................18 Age Ratios..................................................................................................20 Employment...............................................................................................22 NATURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY ..........................................................................23 LAND USE CHARACTERISTICS ......................................................................23 Development Trends..................................................................................25 Transportation................................................................................25 Land Use........................................................................................26 Agricultural....................................................................................27 GEOLOGY ............................................................................................................30 Topography................................................................................................30 Stratigraphy................................................................................................30 Soils............................................................................................................31 Glacial History...........................................................................................35 Natural Resources ......................................................................................35 WATER RESOURCES.........................................................................................38 Climate and Precipitation...........................................................................38 Surface Water.............................................................................................38 Groundwater ..............................................................................................40 Lower Muskingum Management Plan January 2005 Section I iv Drinking Water Information ..........................................................44 SWAP Plans...................................................................................49 Potential Contaminants ..................................................................51 Nitrate-Nitrogen Content Study Of Wells .....................................55 WATER QUALITY ............................................................................................56 Ohio EPA Beneficial Use Designations and Statewide Criteria: Overview .....................................................................................56 Aquatic Life Designations .............................................................56 Aquatic Life Uses ..........................................................................56 Non-Aquatic Life Designations .....................................................58