Ohio State University Extension

Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

590 Woody Hayes Dr., Columbus, Ohio 43210

Clark County Water Resources

AEX-480-12

Michael E. Haubner
Kristina M. Boone
Larry C. Brown

Water is a resource often taken for granted. In recent years, water availability and quality have become important public concerns in Clark County. The county's 147,548 residents (1990 census data) occupy urban and rural areas, and virtually all households rely on ground water for their water supply. By understanding where water is obtained and how it is used in the county, residents can gain a better appreciation for their water. Providing a brief overview of Clark County's water resources, such as rivers, streams, ponds, reservoirs and ground water, this fact sheet is intended to help increase public awareness and understanding of water resources. 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. Extension publications are available from all Ohio county Extension offices.

Precipitation

An average of approximately 39 inches of precipitation falls on Clark County annually. Figure 1 illustrates the average monthly precipitation for the county for the period 1951 to 1980. Based on this 30-year record, the average precipitation is about 3.2 inches per month, with February (2.1 inches) typically being the driest month, and June (4.2 inches) the wettest. There can be, however, extreme variations in some years and in certain months within a year. Such seasonal and yearly extremes, which may have serious consequences, are not apparent from the long-term precipitation information.

Figure 1. Average monthly precipitation in Clark county, Ohio (1951-1980)

Surface-Water Resources

Clark County has three major drainage basins: the Mad River, Great Miami River and Little Miami River. Major streams that drain other parts of the county include: Beaver Creek, Buck Creek, Chapman Creek, Donnels Creek, Honey Creek, Mill Creek and Moore Run. All of these drainage basins are important because they are tributaries to the Ohio River, which is a major water resource for southeastern and southern Ohio and other states. Accounting for about 80 percent of the drainage area in Clark County, the Mad River basin has an area of approximately 656 square miles. This basin stretches from southeastern Logan County to Montgomery County where it enters the Miami River. A generalized surface-water map of Clark County is given in Figure 2.

Clark County contains approximately 257,305 land acres, of which approximately 77 percent is farmland. The county has 30 different soil types, the majority of which are poorly-drained clays and well-drained loams. The county's supply of surface water includes about 2,710 water acres in lakes and approximately 220 linear miles of streams (estimated from river basin maps, ODNR Division of Water). This availability lends itself to many uses by both communities and individuals.

Figure 2. Surface-water resources in Clark County, Ohio (adapted from ODNR Division of Water river basin maps; illustration prepared by K. A Weber).

Ground-Water Resources

The largest ground-water source in Clark County is the Mad River buried valley aquifer. This aquifer contains outwash sediments deposited by water rushing away from the melting glacial ice. Well-sorted sand and gravel deposits help make buried valley aquifers the most productive aquifers of the basin and some of the most productive in the world. Municipal water supplies are withdrawn from this aquifer for the cities of Springfield, New Carlisle, the village of Enon and the Clark County Water and Sewer District, which serves Northridge, Medway, Park Layne and parts of Enon. In the Mad River aquifer system, yields of 500 to 1000 gallons per minute (gpm) may be developed from properly constructed wells. Potential yields decrease to as low as 3 to 10 gpm in other sections of the county. An overview of the county's ground-water resources is given in Clark County Ground-Water Resources, AEX-490.12.

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 Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Water.

Where Does The Water Go?

Based on long-term 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 like streams and lakes. Two inches are retained at the ground surface and evaporate back into the atmosphere in a relatively short time period. 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 further reading, 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 may result in runoff and how many inches have the potential to reach aquifers. Based on statewide averages of runoff and ground-water recharge, Clark County's 39 inches of annual precipitation results in about 10 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 Consumption

The county has 84 public-water systems. These systems serve communities ranging from small trailer courts to the city of Springfield. Table 1 lists the major public water systems, along with the population served, primary water source, estimated daily water usage and treatment plant capacity. These public-water systems provide water for domestic, commercial and industrial uses, which should be considered when using the data in Table 1.

Ground water is the only source used by public water systems in the county. Further, nearly 23 percent of all households have a private well.

Table 1. Water Use in Clark County, Ohio.1
Public Water System	Population Served	Primary Water Source	Water Usage (GPD)2	Treatment Plant Capacity (GPD)
Catawba	360	Ground Water	23,000	64,000
Park Layne3	7,500	Ground Water	450,000	2,160,000
Enon	9,150	Ground Water	550,000	1,500,000
Lawrenceville	400	Ground Water	24,000	144,000
New Carlisle	6,800	Ground Water	384,000	720,000
North Hampton	500	Ground Water	50,000	103,000
South Charleston	1,600	Ground Water	150,000	150,000
South Vienna	665	Ground Water	65,000	100,000
Springfield	74,000	Ground Water	16,000,000	36,000,000
1 Abstracted from Inventory of Municipal Water-Supply Systems by County, Ohio (1977), and updated with data provided by Dan Cloyd, Ohio EPA, Southwest District Office, Dayton, OH.
2 GPD = gallons per day.
3 Served by Clark County Water and Sewer District, which also serves Medway, Northridge and part of Enon.

Water Quality

The majority of ground water in Clark County comes from unconsolidated aquifers of sand and gravel. As water moves through the fractured limestone underlying the county, it dissolves and carries in solution minerals contained in the bedrock. The water tends to have high concentrations of calcium carbonate (hardness) and iron. Many households and municipalities, such as Springfield, treat the water before use or distribution.

Human activities, such as agricultural production, domestic waste disposal and lawn and turf care, may have some influence on ground-water quality in Clark County. In 1987, 158 county wells were sampled for nitrate content, of which 114 (72 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. Twenty wells (13 percent) were tested in the range of 0.3 to 3.0 ppm; these values may or may not indicate human influence. The 20 wells (13 percent) that tested in the range of 3.0 to 10 ppm, may indicate elevated concentrations resulting from human activities. Only 4 wells (3 percent) tested at over 10 ppm nitrate-nitrogen, which exceeds the safe drinking-water standard. The average test value over the 158 wells tested was just under 1.3 ppm.

Another aspect of water quality in the county is sediment loading in streams and rivers. Soil erosion, which produces sediment, is a continuously occurring, natural process that loosens and transports soil particles. About 830,000 tons of topsoil erode from the county's agricultural land annually. More than 95 percent of the erosion is on cropland. Runoff and sediment from residential development, construction sites, and agricultural lands, which may enter streams and rivers, also may carry other pollutants, such as lawn and agricultural chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers), septage, oil and gas from spills, and industrial wastes. Clark County citizens have a major challenge to reduce soil erosion, and to protect water resources from pollutants that could affect the quality of the water supply.

Summary

Water availability and quality are important public concerns. Water problems can be both costly and inconvenient. While the present and future availability of water is excellent for Clark 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 is intended to provided information to the public on water facts for Clark County. For more information on water resources and drinking-water quality in the county, contact the Clark County Extension office. In addition, the following agencies may be able to provide information on other water resources topics in the county: Clark Soil and Water Conservation District; USDA Soil Conservation Service; Clark County Health Department; ODNR Division of Water (Fountain Square, Columbus, OH 43224); U.S. Geological Survey, Ohio District (975 W. Third Ave., Columbus, OH 43212); Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (1800 WaterMark Drive, Columbus, OH 43266); Ohio Department of Health (PO Box 118, Columbus, OH 43226).

If you have other factual county water-resources information that might be of interest to the public, please send copies to the author of this publication at the Clark County Extension office.

Bibliography

Aquifer Update. October, 1991. No. 2. The Miami Conservancy District.

Clark County Ground-Water Resources. 1992. M.E. Haubner, A.W. Jones, K.M. Boone and L.C. Brown. AEX-490.12. Ohio Cooperative Extension Service, The Ohio State University.

Clark Soil and Water Conservation District Resources Inventory. 1986. USDA-Soil Conservation Service.

Gazetteer of Ohio Streams. 1960. Ohio Water Inventory Report No. 12. ODNR Division of Water.

Ground-Water Resources of Clark County. 1982. J.J. Schmidt. ODNR Division 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 Division of Water.

Inventory of Municipal Water-Supply Systems by County, Ohio. 1977. Ohio Water Inventory Report No. 24. ODNR Division of Water.

Inventory of Ohio's Lakes. 1980. Ohio Water Inventory Report No. 26. ODNR Division of Water.

Monthly Normals of Temperature, Precipitation, and Heating and Cooling Degree Days, 1951-80, Ohio. 1982. Climatology of the United States, No. 81 (by state). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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 Cooperative Extension Service, The Ohio State University.

Ohio Ground-Water Quality. USGS National Water Summary - Ohio. 1986. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2325.

Ohio Ground-Water Resources. USGS National Water Summary - Ohio. 1984. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2275.

Ohio Surface-Water Resources. USGS National Water Summary - Ohio. 1985. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2300.

Ohio's Hydrologic Cycle. 1990. L.C. Brown and K.M. Coltman. AEX-461. Ohio Cooperative Extension Service, The Ohio State University.

Ohio's Natural Heritage. 1979. M.B. Lafferty (Ed.). Ohio Academy of Science, Columbus, OH.

Private Water Systems Handbook. 1987. MWPS-14. Midwest Plan Service, Ames, IA. (Available through your county Extension office).

Southwest Ohio Water Plan - Public Water Supply. 1976. ODNR Division of Water.

Surface and Ground Water Terminology. 1990. L.C. Brown and L.P. Black. AEX 460. Ohio Cooperative Extension Service, The Ohio State University.

Water - Ohio's Remarkable Resource. 1982. ODNR Division of Water.

Acknowledgments

This publication was produced through the Ohio Water Resources Education Project, in cooperation with: ODNR Division of Water; Ohio EPA; U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Ohio District; and Ohio Department of Health (ODH). Project leaders are Larry C. Brown and Kristina M. Boone. Support was provided, in part, by: the cooperating agencies; Clark County Extension Office; Overholt Drainage Education and Research Program; and USDA Extension Service Grant No. 90-EWQI-1-9018.

The project leaders express appreciation to the following reviewers: John H. Grieser (USDA-Soil Conservation Service); A. Wayne Jones, David Cashell and Leonard Black (ODNR Division of Water); Scott Golden (Environmental Health, ODH); Tim Lawrence (Agricultural Engineering, OSU); Rich Bendula (Ohio EPA Division of Drinking and Ground Water); and Larry Antosch (Ohio EPA Division of Water Quality Planning and Assessment).

A special thanks to Michelle Roby and Ross A. Roberts (Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Assistants) for help in manuscript and graphics preparation; and Judy Kauffeld and Tonya Ewing (Section of Communications & Technology, OSU Extension) for editorial and graphic production.