Ohio State University Extension

Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

590 Woody Hayes Dr., Columbus, Ohio 43210

Water Resources of Geauga County

AEX-480.28

Marjorie L. Townsend
Karen T. Ricker
Larry C. Brown

Water is a resource often taken for granted. In recent years, water availability and quality have become important public concerns in Geauga County. The county's population of 83,241 (1992 Ohio Department of Development estimate) is predominantly rural, and almost all households rely on ground water for their water supply. This fact sheet provides a brief overview of Geauga 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.

Precipitation

Precipitation patterns in Geauga County are strongly influenced by moisture-laden winds blowing off Lake Erie. As this air moves from the lake to the land, it gradually begins to release moisture. As a result, Geauga County has four precipitation zones and generally receives more rainfall than the rest of the state. Chardon has the highest annual precipitation in Ohio, with an average of 46 inches of precipitation annually. This includes an annual 106 inches of snow and sleet, the highest snowfall in Ohio. The rest of the county receives from 39 to 43 inches annually. Figure 1 illustrates the average monthly precipitation for the county for the period 1961 to 1990; the areas south of Chardon receive proportionately less precipitation. Based on this 30-year record, the average precipitation is 3.8 inches per month, with February (2.6 inches) typically being the driest month, and June (4.3 inches) 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 Geauga County, Ohio (1961-1990); data collected at Chardon.

Surface-Water Resources

Three different watersheds influence drainage in Geauga County. The Chagrin River drains the western region of the county, the Cuyahoga River drains the central region, and the Grand River drains the eastern and northern areas. All flow into Lake Erie, making most of the county part of the Southern Lake Erie Subregion. Silver Creek in the very south central part of Troy Township flows into the Mahoning River, in the Ohio River Basin. A generalized surface-water map of Geauga 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 259,000 land acres, of which 23% percent is farmland. The greatest amount of land is forested: 116,500 acres (45%). Twelve soil associations have been identified in the county and vary in drainage quality from poorly drained to well drained. More than 50 percent of the soils are classified as somewhat poorly drained. Only about 9 percent of the soils are classified as well drained. The largest soil association is the Mahoning-Ellsworth association, which makes up 33 percent of the county soils. These soils vary from somewhat poorly drained to moderately well drained, and were formed in moderately fine textured glacial till. The Wadsworth-Rittman association makes up about 21 percent of the county, ranging from somewhat poorly drained to moderately well drained.

The county water acreage consists of about 2,783 acres of lakes. These include LaDue Reservoir (1,500 acres) and the East Branch Reservoir (416 acres) which provide water for the City of Akron. Punderson Lake (101 acres) in Punderson State Park and Lake Aquila (27 acres) are both public lakes. The Geauga County Park District owns Kelso Lake and several small ponds. The rest of the lakes are private and generally smaller than 30 acres, although the largest private lake is Bass Lake (128 acres). The county contains approximately 278 linear miles of major streams and rivers [estimated from river basin maps Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Water]. In addition, numerous miles of privately-maintained ditches are used for land drainage.

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

Ground-Water Resources

The Sharon Conglomerate aquifer, which underlies approximately half of Geauga County, is the most predominant bedrock source of ground water. It is a coarse to fine-grained sandstone, sometimes interbedded with quartz pebbles, and covered by 15 to 75 feet of glacial drift. Wells in this aquifer yield from 25 to 100 gallons per minute (gpm).

The most extensive aquifer, in terms of area in Geauga County, is the sandstone and shale bedrock. Wells in areas where the sandstone is thick and coarse-grained may yield as much as 50 gpm. Where the bedrock is shale, wells generally yield less than 25 gpm. In areas where the shale is covered with deposits of silt and clay, wells may yield less than 5 gpm

An ancient river valley running from northwest Middlefield to southwest Burton Township is filled with permeable sand and gravel. Wells encountering permeable deposits in this region may yield from 100 to 1,000 gpm, the highest in Geauga County. However, this aquifer is very limited in area.

Unconsolidated glacial deposits consisting primarily of clay, sand, and silt were deposited in the Chagrin River Valley in Chester, Russell, Bainbridge, and Munson Townships. Discontinuous sand and gravel lenses within the glacial drift usually yield from 3 to 10 gpm. An overview of the ground-water resources in the county is given in Geauga County Ground-Water Resources, AEX-490.28.

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.

Where Does the Water Go?

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, Chardon's 46 inches of average annual precipitation result in about 12 inches of runoff to streams and lakes, and about 7.4 inches have the potential to recharge aquifers annually. Figures for the southern parts of the county will be proportionately less, and values for particular locations will differ according to local conditions.

Water Use

Water use for each of Geauga 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 Village of Chardon that uses six wells for its supply. All other county water systems also depend on wells.

Ground water is the only water source for rural households in Geauga County; a few households filter and chlorinate pond water for use. Although the East Branch and LaDue reservoirs together cover 1,916 acres, they are part of the City of Akron water supply. Approximately 81 percent of all households obtain their water from private wells. Based on an estimated usage of 75 gallons per person per day, 5,022,300 gallons per day (gpd) from private wells are used. The remaining 19 percent of households use public-water supplies, as identified in Table 1. Additional private water uses include industry (1.62 million gpd) and livestock use, mostly from ground-water supplies. Animal agriculture is important in Geauga County; 3,900 beef animals, 4,200 dairy cows and heifers, 3,000 hogs and pigs, and 6,500 horses require an estimated minimum of 323,000 gallons of water every day.

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 Geauga County, Ohio.1
Public Water System	Population Served	Primary Water Source	Water Usage (GPD)2	Treatment Plant Capacity (GPD)
Chardon	4,629	Ground Water	650,000	1,600,000
Middlefield	1,901	Ground Water	610,000	720,000
Tanglewood Water Co.	1,550	Ground Water	184,000	432,000
Burton	1,375	Ground Water	120,000	846,000
Lake Lucerne Club	855	Ground Water	57,000	N/A3
Paw Paw Lake	103	Ground Water	16,400	33,000
Other4	5,864	Ground Water	1,151,063	N/A
1 Estimates from Ohio EPA using adjusted 1994 data; information is based on data available at time of publication.
2 GPD = gallons per day.
3 N/A = not available; treatment plant capacity figure not available.
4 Includes mobile home parks, nursing homes, homeowners associations, housing developments, small county systems, and water companies; treatment plant capacity figure not available.

Water Quality

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.

Ground Water

As water moves through the sandstone and shale bedrock, and the unconsolidated sediments underlying Geauga County, it dissolves the minerals contained in these formations and carries them in solution. Publication AEX-490.28 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, 132 wells in the county were sampled for nitrate-nitrogen content, an indicator of water quality. Results showed that 75 wells (56.8 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. Thirty-nine wells (29.5 percent) tested in the range of 0.3 to 3.0 ppm, values that may or may not indicate human influence. The 18 wells (13.6 percent) that tested in the range of 3.0 to 10 ppm may indicate elevated concentrations resulting from human activities. No wells tested at more than 10 ppm nitrate-nitrogen, which exceeds the safe drinking-water standard. The average nitrate-nitrogen concentration for the 132 wells tested was 1.07 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 Geauga County Department of Health provides bacteriological water sampling for local citizens, and results of these tests generally indicate acceptable drinking water in the county. Yet, a number of private wells in various locations in Geauga County have been affected by chemical contamination. Because of the contamination, more restrictive construction practices are required in some areas.

Surface Water

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 most Geauga County streams are affected by NPS pollution, including all or parts of the Chagrin River (headwaters to the Aurora Branch), Grand River (headwaters to Mud Run), and Big Creek. These streams are affected by one or more of the following NPS pollution categories: crop and livestock production; urban runoff, construction sites, on-site septic systems, surface runoff, channelization, streambank modification, and bridge construction. Other county streams are affected by point source pollution (municipal and/or industrial wastewater). Point source affected streams include Aurora Branch and Big Creek. Geauga County also contains streams that have good water quality and are attaining chemical and biological water quality standards. Monitoring has shown that the East Branch of the Chagrin River, West Branch of the Cuyahoga River, and Deidrich Creek have attained good water quality based on the water quality standards, although they can still be affected by agriculture, crop production, construction sites, and surface runoff. 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 Northeast District Office (2110 East Aurora Road, Twinsburg, Ohio, 44087). 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 Geauga County affected streams and streams with good water quality will change. Residents have a major responsibility to protect Geauga County's 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 availability of water is good for Geauga 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 Geauga County. For more information concerning water resources and drinking-water quality in the county, contact the Geauga County office of Ohio State University Extension (14269 Claridon-Troy Road, Burton, Ohio, 44021; 216-834-4656). In addition, the following agencies may be able to provide information on other water resources topics in the county: Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District; Geauga 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; PO Box 118, Columbus, OH 43226).

Bibliography

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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.

Geauga County Ground-Water Resources. 1995. M.L. Townsend, A.W. Jones, L.C. Brown and K.T. Ricker. AEX-490.28 . Ohio State University Extension.

Geauga County, Ohio Soil Survey. 1979. USDA-NRCS.

Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District Resources Inventory. 1986. USDA-NRCS.

Geohydrology, Ground-Water quality, and Simulate Ground-Water Flow, Geauga County, Ohio. 1990. S.M. Eberts, E.S. Bair, and J.T. de Roche. USGS. WRI Report 90-4026.

Ground-Water Conditions in Geauga County, Ohio, 1978. 1980. V.E. Nichols. USGS. WRI Report 80-28.

Ground-Water Resources of Geauga County. 1978. A.C. Walker. 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.

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Acknowledgments

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: Geauga County office of OSU Extension; 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: Tom Franek (Headwaters Land Trust); Al Bonnis (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Geauga County); Randy James (OSU Extension, Geauga County); 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.