Figure 1. Average monthly precipitation (in inches) in Wyyandot County, Ohio (1961-1990); data collected at Upper Sandusky.
Water is a resource often taken for granted. In recent years, water availability and quality have become important public concerns in Wyandot County. The county's population of 22,221 (1992 Ohio Department of Development estimate) is predominantly rural, and about 70 percent of the households rely on ground water for their water supply. This fact sheet provides a brief overview of Wyandot County's water resources, and is intended to help increase public awareness and understanding about this vital resource. By understanding where water is obtained and how it is used in the county, residents can gain a better appreciation for their water supply. Water resources terminology used in this publication is included in Surface and Ground Water Terminology, Fact Sheet AEX 460, which provides a listing of generally accepted water resource definitions. Ohio State University Extension publications are available through all Ohio county Extension offices.
An average of approximately 36 inches of precipitation falls on Wyandot County annually. Figure 1 illustrates the average monthly precipitation for the county for the period 1961 to 1990. Based on this 30-year record, the average precipitation is 3.0 inches per month, with February (1.8 inches) typically being the driest month, and May and July (4.1 inches each) the wettest. However, there can be extreme variations in some years and in certain months within a year. Such seasonal and yearly extremes may have serious consequences and are not always apparent from the long-term precipitation information.
Figure 1. Average monthly precipitation (in inches) in Wyyandot
County, Ohio (1961-1990); data collected at Upper Sandusky.
The Sandusky River provides the primary drainage for Wyandot County. The Sandusky River drainage area encompasses more than 1,420 square miles and has approximately 900 miles of streams (excluding intermittent streams). The Sandusky River flows west from its origin in western Richland County to Wyandot County, where it turns north and empties into Lake Erie at Sandusky Bay.
A tributary of the Sandusky River that drains a major portion of Wyandot County is Tymochtee Creek. This creek drains nearly 300 square miles of Wyandot, Hardin, and Marion counties. Other major streams that drain parts of Wyandot County into the Sandusky River include Broken Sword Creek and Sycamore Creek. Finally, a portion of western Wyandot County drains into tributaries of the Blanchard River and ultimately into Lake Erie. A generalized surface-water map of Wyandot County is given in Figure 2.
Surface waters are affected by soil type, geology, the topography of adjacent land, and the way people use the land. Land use, such as residential development and agricultural production, may increase the amount of sediment and other pollutants entering a body of water. The soils and terrain also influence the amount of runoff because of infiltration, percolation, and water holding characteristics. With some soils, rainfall is more likely to run off, while other soils allow water to infiltrate more readily.
The county contains approximately 259,840 land acres, of which 83 percent is farmland. Forty-four soil types have been identified in the county and can be grouped into 11 soil associations. The soils vary in drainage quality from well drained to very poorly drained soils that formed in glacial till and lacustrine sediment. Since the county is generally level, drainage is a major management concern for farmland and homesites. Only 210 feet separates the highest elevation (979 feet above sea level in the southeast corner of the county) from the lowest elevation (769 feet above sea level near the Sandusky River) in Tymochtee Township.
The county water acreage consists of about 1,385 acres of lakes, including Upper Sandusky Reservoir, Ellis Lake, Killdeer Upground Reservoir, and other lakes in the Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area. Sixteen other lakes and more than 140 ponds are also located in Wyandot County. The county contains approximately 275 linear miles of major streams and rivers [estimated from river basin maps, Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Water]. In addition, more than 53 miles of county-maintained ditches and numerous miles of privately-maintained ditches are used for land drainage.
Figure 2. Surface-water resources in Wyandot County, Ohio (adapted from
ODNR Div. of Water river basin maps by K.A. Weber).
Wyandot County's primary ground-water source is a carbonate bedrock aquifer composed mostly of limestone which serves as an adequate water supply for both individual and public-water systems. Limestone is composed of calcium carbonate, while dolomite is composed of calcium and magnesium carbonates. Together they form a popular construction materials that most Ohioans refer to as limestone.
In much of the northwestern and southwestern portions of the county, the carbonate aquifer may yield as much as 100 gallons per minute (gpm) at depths less than 200 feet. Yields up to 15 gpm for household supplies may be developed at depths fewer than 100 feet. Other parts of the county have had proven yields of 500 gpm at 275-foot depths or less. Farm and domestic supplies of 10 to 25 gpm are often encountered at depths less than 100 feet. Ground-water supplies have a high natural mineral content often resulting in hard water and usually requires treatment for domestic use. Varying amounts of iron are found, and objectionable amounts of hydrogen sulfide generally increase with the depth drilled. An overview of the ground-water resources in the county is given in Wyandot County Ground-Water Resources, AEX-490.88.
The yield of a well will vary considerably depending on the age and depth of the well, well construction, the diameter of the casing, pump capacity and age, and more importantly, properties of the geologic formation. Specific information on ground-water availability and wells can be obtained by contacting the ODNR Division of Water.
Based on long-term statewide weather records, Ohio receives an average of 38 inches of precipitation per year. These 38 inches move through a complex path called the hydrologic cycle. Of these 38 inches, about 10 inches (26 percent) become runoff, which moves immediately to surface-water bodies such as streams and lakes. Two inches are retained at the ground surface and evaporate back into the atmosphere in a relatively short period of time. Twenty-six of the 38 total inches enter the soil surface through infiltration. Twenty of these 26 inches go into soil storage and later are returned to the atmosphere by the combination of evaporation and transpiration (evapotranspiration). The remaining 6 inches of precipitation (16 percent of the total) have the potential to recharge the ground-water supply. Two of these 6 inches eventually move to springs, lakes, or streams as ground-water discharge. The remaining 4 inches either return to the atmosphere by evapotranspiration or are withdrawn to supply water needs. For more information, please refer to Ohio's Hydrologic Cycle, AEX 461.
Statewide averages applied to the county's average annual precipitation provide a rough estimate of how many inches will result in runoff and how many inches have the potential to reach aquifers. Based on statewide averages of runoff and ground-water recharge, Wyandot County's 36 inches of average annual precipitation result in about 9 inches of runoff to streams and lakes, and about 6 inches have the potential to recharge aquifers annually. Values for particular locations will differ according to local conditions.
Water use for each of Wyandot County's public water supply systems is given in Table 1. For each water system, this table presents an estimate of the population served, water source, estimated daily usage and treatment plant capacity. The county's largest public water system is the Upper Sandusky that uses surface water for its supply. Carey, Nevada, and Sycamore have public water systems that use ground water.
Ground water is a major water source for rural households in Wyandot County. Approximately 45 percent of all households obtain their water from private wells. Based on an estimated usage of 75 gallons per person per day, 798,375 gallons per day (gpd) from private wells are used. Additional private water uses include industry (690,000 gpd) and livestock use (344,000 gpd), mostly from ground-water supplies. The remaining 55 percent of households use public-water supplies with ground water as the source, as identified in Table 1.
Some water users in Ohio must register their withdrawals with the ODNR Division of Water. Through the Water Withdrawal Facility Registration Program, owners of facilities capable of withdrawing 100,000 gpd (70 gpm) or more must register those facilities. Information collected through this program includes withdrawal capacity, ground- or surface-water sources, location and type of water use, and location of discharge points. The program is for registration only, and not for allocation or permission. Registered withdrawers file annual reports of their water use. This information helps planners at ODNR to determine the availability of water for projected needs and to better manage and protect Ohio's water resources. Documenting water use also provides official records for individual uses. For more information, contact the ODNR Division of Water.
| Table 1. Water Use in Wyandot County, Ohio.1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Water System | Population Served | Primary Water Source | Water Usage (GPD)2 | Treatment Plant Capacity (GPD) |
| Upper Sandusky | 6,011 | Surface Water | 945,000 | 1,730,000 |
| Carey | 3,746 | Ground Water | 491,000 | 1,202,400 |
| Sycamore | 950 | Ground Water | 113,000 | 230,000 |
| Nevada | 870 | Ground Water | 77,684 | 169,000 |
| 1 Estimates from Ohio EPA using adjusted 1994 data; information is based on data available at time of publication. | ||||
| 2 GPD = gallons per day. | ||||
Human activities and natural processes affect the quality of our water supplies. Throughout Ohio, human activities contribute to both point and nonpoint source pollution. Point source pollution is the introduction of impurities into water (ground water or surface water) from an identifiable, known location. Examples of point sources can include industrial factories, power plants, commercial businesses, and wastewater treatment facilities.
Nonpoint source pollution also involves the introduction of impurities into a surface-water body or an aquifer, except the route is usually non-direct and the sources are diffuse in nature. A major portion of the sediment, nutrients, acids and salts, heavy metals, toxic chemicals, and pathogens enter the state's water resources through nonpoint source pollution, affecting both ground and surface water. Examples include automobile emissions, runoff from parking lots, and runoff and drainage from agricultural fields, feedlots, home lawns and gardens, residential development, construction, mining, and logging activities.
Natural processes such as precipitation also have an impact on surface water and, to a lesser extent, ground water. For example, rainfall that is acidic ("acid rain") may alter the quality of a stream, lake, or other water resource that receives the rainfall.
As water moves through the fractured limestone underlying Wyandot County, it dissolves the minerals contained in these formations and carries them in solution. Publication AEX-490.88 summarizes some of the county's natural ground-water quality aspects.
Human activities, such as agricultural production, domestic waste disposal, and lawn and turf care, may have some influence on the county's ground-water quality. In a 1987 study by Heidelberg College, 238 wells in the county were sampled for nitrate-nitrogen content, an indicator of water quality. Results showed that 207 wells (87 percent of total) contained nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in the range of 0 to 0.3 parts-per-million (ppm). This range is assumed to represent natural background levels. Thirteen wells (5 percent) tested in the range of 0.3 to 3.0 ppm, values that may or may not indicate human influence. The 11 wells (approximately 5 percent) that tested in the range of 3.0 to 10 ppm may indicate elevated concentrations resulting from human activities. Only 7 wells (3 percent) tested at more than 10 ppm nitrate-nitrogen, which exceeds the safe drinking-water standard. The average nitrate-nitrogen concentration for the 238 wells tested was 0.82 ppm. The design, location, and condition of a well, combined with the characteristics of the soils and geologic formations in which the well is constructed, influence the potential for pollutants to enter the well. The Wyandot County Department of Health provides bacteriological water sampling for local citizens, and results of these tests generally indicate acceptable drinking water in the county.
Runoff and sediment from residential development, construction sites and agricultural lands may enter the county's streams and lakes. Also, runoff may carry other pollutants, such as lawn and agricultural chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers), effluent from septic systems, oil and gas from spills, and industrial wastes.
Through the State of Ohio Nonpoint Source Assessment and the Water Resources Inventory, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) has identified 13,000 stream miles in Ohio that have been affected by nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. Based on the findings of the Assessment and Inventory, the Ohio Nonpoint Source Management Program has been implemented to help improve the quality of the state's waters.
Water quality monitoring indicates that all or parts of the following Wyandot County streams are affected by NPS pollution: Potato Run, Tymochtee Creek (Warpole Creek to Little Tymochtee Creek), Sandusky River, and Rock Run. These streams are affected by one or more of the following NPS pollution categories: agriculture, crop production, surface runoff, on-site wastewater treatment systems, channelization, and in place pollutants. Other county streams are affected by point source pollution (municipal and/or industrial wastewater) and include the Sandusky River. Wyandot County also contains streams that have good water quality, such as Broken Sword Creek and Negro Run, and are attaining chemical and biological water quality standards. For specific information about the streams listed in the Assessment and Inventory documents, and details about the Nonpoint Source Management Program, contact the Ohio EPA Northwest District Office (347 North Dunbridge Rd., Bowling Green, OH 43402). Information about nonpoint source pollution is also discussed in Nonpoint Source Pollution: Water Primer, AEX 465, available from your county Extension office.
It is important to note that as of June 1995 less than half of Ohio's streams have been evaluated by the Assessment. As water quality monitoring continues statewide, the list of Wyandot County affected streams and streams with good water quality will change. Residents have a major responsibility to protect Wyandot County's water resources from pollutants that could affect the quality of the water supply.
Water availability and quality are important public concerns. Water problems can be both costly and inconvenient. While the present availability of water is good for Wyandot County, water is a precious resource that must be conserved and protected. We must all work together to maintain an adequate supply of good quality water.
This fact sheet provided information about the water resources in Wyandot County. For more information concerning water resources and drinking-water quality in the county, contact the Wyandot County office of Ohio State University Extension (109 S. Sandusky Ave., Court House, Upper Sandusky, OH 43351-1423; 419-294-4931). In addition, the following agencies may be able to provide information on other water resources topics in the county: Wyandot Soil and Water Conservation District; Wyandot County Health Department; ODNR Division of Water (Fountain Square, Columbus, OH 43224); U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Ohio District (975 W. Third Ave., Columbus, OH 43212); Ohio EPA (P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, OH 43216-1049); and Ohio Department of Health (ODH; P.O. Box 118, Columbus, OH 43226).
1990 Census and 1992 Estimates of Ohio's Population: State, Counties, Cities, and Villages. 1994. Ohio Department of Development.
Doane's Agricultural Report. 1992. Farm Water Systems.
Estimated Water Use in Ohio, 1990, Public Supply Data. 1993. USGS. Open-File Report 93-72.
Gazetteer of Ohio Streams. 1960. Ohio Water Inventory Report No. 12. ODNR Div. of Water.
Ground-Water Resources of Wyandot County. 1983. J. J. Schmidt. ODNR Div. of Water. (map).
Hydrologic Atlas for Ohio: Average Annual Precipitation, Temperature, Streamflow, and Water Loss for the 50-Year Period 1931-1980. 1991. L. J. Hartstine. Water Inventory Report No. 28. ODNR Div. of Water.
Inventory of Municipal Water-Supply Systems by County, Ohio. 1977. Ohio Water Inventory Report No. 24. ODNR Div. of Water.
Inventory of Ohio's Lakes. 1980. Ohio Water Inventory Report No. 26. ODNR Div. of Water.
Monthly Station Normals of Temperature, Precipitation, and Heating and Cooling Degree Days, 1961-90, Ohio. 1992. Climatology of the United States, No. 81 (by state). NOAA.
Nitrate and Pesticides in Private Wells of Ohio: A State Atlas. 1989. Water Quality Laboratory, Heidelberg College.
Nitrate in Drinking Water. 1987. K. M. Mancl. Bulletin No. 744. Ohio State University Extension.
Nonpoint Source Pollution: Water Primer. 1993. R. Leeds and L. C. Brown. AEX 465. Ohio State University Extension.
Ohio Ground-Water Quality. USGS National Water Summary-Ohio. 1986. USGS. Water-Supply Paper 2325.
Ohio Ground-Water Resources. USGS National Water Summary-Ohio. 1984. USGS. Water-Supply Paper 2275.
Ohio Nonpoint Source Management Program. 1993. ODNR.
Ohio Surface-Water Resources. USGS National Water Summary-Ohio. 1985. USGS. Water-Supply Paper 2300.
Ohio Water Firsts. 1985. S. L. Frost and W. S. Nichols. Water Resources Foundation of Ohio, Inc.
Ohio Water Resource Inventory: Executive Summary and Volumes 1-4. 1992. Ohio EPA.
Ohio's Hydrologic Cycle. 1990. L. C. Brown and K. M. Coltman. AEX 461. Ohio State University Extension.
Private Water Systems Handbook. 1987. MWPS-14. Midwest Plan Service, Ames, IA.
State of Ohio Nonpoint Source Assessment: Volumes 1-6. 1990. Ohio EPA.
Surface and Ground Water Terminology. 1990. L. C. Brown and L. P. Black. AEX 460. Ohio State University Extension.
Water-Ohio's Remarkable Resource. 1982. ODNR Div. of Water.
Withdrawal and Distribution of Water By Public Water Supplies in Ohio, 1985. 1989. USGS. Open-File Report 89-423.
Wyandot County, Ohio Soil Survey. 1982. USDA-NRCS.
Wyandot County Ground-Water Resources. 1995. C. D. Penrose, C. L. Bruynis, A. W. Jones, L. C. Brown and K. T. Ricker. AEX-490.88. Ohio State University Extension.
Wyandot Soil and Water Conservation District Resources Inventory. 1982. USDA-NRCS.
This publication was produced through the Ohio Water Resources Education Project, in cooperation with: ODNR Division of Water; Ohio EPA; USGS, Ohio District; and ODH. Project leaders are Larry C. Brown and Karen T. Ricker. Partial financial support for this publication was provided by these cooperating agencies and programs: Wyandot County office of OSU Extension; Wyandot County Commissioners; USDA Water Quality Initiative Funds; Overholt Drainage Education and Research Program; and the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Project (USDA Extension Service Grant No. 90-EWQI-1-9018).
The project leaders express appreciation to the following reviewers: David Randall (Wyandot County Health Dept.); Scott Miller (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Crawford, Seneca, and Wyandot Counties); A. Wayne Jones, James M. Raab, David Cashell and Leonard Black (ODNR Division of Water); Scott Golden (Environmental Health, ODH); Steve Hindall (USGS, Ohio District); Anthony J. Kramer (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, State Office, Columbus); Jay Fleming (Ohio EPA Division of Drinking and Ground Waters); and Larry Antosch, Rich McClay, and Mark Wilson (Ohio EPA Division of Surface Water).
A special thanks to Kim Wintringham, Associate Editor (Section of Communications and Technology, Ohio State University Extension), for editorial and graphic production.
All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status.
Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Adm. and Director, OSU Extension.
TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868