Olentangy River near Galion, OH

These are exciting time for supporters of the Upper Olentangy Watershed!  Within the last six months, the Upper Olentangy Watershed Action Plan submitted by the Olentangy Watershed Alliance was fully endorsed by the state and a Watershed Coordinator was hired to manage plan implementation.  We believe these two success stories are only the beginning of more positive changes to come in this valued watershed.

 

Through the protection of the Upper Olentangy River Watershed, we safeguard important resources like our drinking water supply, recreational areas, and wildlife habitats.  The Olentangy Watershed Alliance encourages watershed residents to become involved in the effort to improve and protect our water resources by helping us put the Watershed Action Plan in motion.

Upper Olentangy Watershed Action Plan 

One of the first priorities of a watershed organization is to work with local stakeholders on the creation of a comprehensive watershed plan.  For the Upper Olentangy Watershed, this process began in 2003 when funds from the Ohio EPA were allocated to the development of an action plan addressing water quality issues. 

The faculty and staff at The Ohio State University Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering, in partnership with OWA and the City of Delaware, conducted extensive research, technical analyses, and public participation for the purpose of creating a watershed inventory and identifying watershed impairments.  Based on the technical information and public input, recommendations were made on realistic conservation practices that community members and organizations can cooperatively implement to improve the water quality of the Upper Olentangy River and its tributaries.

 Sub-watershed Action Plans 

Due to the relatively large area of the Upper Olentangy Watershed (the area spans over 280,000 acres!), the plan provides a report on 18 smaller ‘sub-watersheds’.  For each sub-watershed, the land uses and water quality impairments are described.  Common causes of impairment include:

-         sedimentation

-         nutrient enrichment

-         bacteria/pathogens

-         habitat and flow alterations

-         elevated temperatures

Each sub-watershed action plan includes a list of implementation objectives to address the specific types of impairments.  The objectives describe the proposed actions, estimated costs, potential funding sources, timelines, and performance indicators. The proposed actions involve the incorporation of various Best Management Practices (BMPs); these practices balance profitability and efficiency with water quality and quantity concerns.  Examples include:

-     Buffer Strips

-         Grassed Waterways

-         Livestock Exclusions

-         Stream Bank Stabilizations

-         Riparian Buffers

 Priority Implementation Projects 

In an effort to concentrate implementation efforts, two sub-watersheds were chosen by OWA and other stakeholders as priority areas.  These are the Shaw Creek Watershed and the Olentangy River Watershed from the Delaware Lake dam to below Horseshoe Run. 

The Shaw Creek Watershed is over 19,000 acres in size and was designated as an Exceptional Warm Water Habitat by the Ohio EPA.  Documented impairments have been linked to channel modifications, sedimentation, nutrient enrichment, and high bacteria levels caused by agricultural activities and failing septic systems.  The overall goals for this watershed are to reduce sedimentation and nutrient runoff from cropland areas; improve riparian condition by adding streamside buffer strips; and reduce nutrients derived from failing septic systems.

The Olentangy River Sub-watershed below Delaware Dam drains over 15,000 acres and is developing rapidly.  An estimated 500 acres will become residential in the next 5 years.  Several locations in the watershed exceeded the bacteria limits for primary contact recreation; other impairments included urban runoff, onsite waste treatment and flow alterations.  Goals have been set to address these water quality concerns, including reduction of sediment exports, improvement of riparian habitat, and upgrading of failing home sewage treatment systems. 

As stated within the Watershed Action Plan, the overall Upper Olentangy Watershed goal is “to maintain water quality of water resources that meet or exceed designated uses and have acceptable quality, and to improve and enhance water quality of all other water resources to bring them under acceptable water quality goals, as well as to meet designated uses and enhance the overall quality of the resources.”  Realization of this goal benefits everyone in the watershed, for we all depend on clean water resources.  You can help OWA meet the Upper Olentangy Watershed goal through participation in volunteer opportunities and continued financial support. 

 Click here to download the Upper Olentangy Watershed Management and Action Plan.