Figure 1. Average monthly precipitation (in inches) in Lucas County, Ohio (1961-1990); data collected at the Toledo Express Airport Weather Station.
Water is a resource often taken for granted. In recent years, water availability and quality have become important public concerns in Lucas County. The county's population of 461,508 (1992 Ohio Department of Development estimate) is predominantly urban with Lake Erie as the major water source. Approximately 95 percent of the residents rely on surface water for their water supply. This fact sheet provides a brief overview of Lucas 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 33 inches of precipitation falls on Lucas 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 nearly 3 inches per month, with February (1.7 inches) typically being the driest month, and June (3.8 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 Lucas County, Ohio (1961-1990); data collected at the Toledo Express Airport Weather Station.
Lucas County's largest watershed is the lower Maumee River Basin. The Maumee River flows northeast to Lake Erie and forms the southern boundary of Lucas County from Henry County to just south of downtown Toledo where the river continues on a northeast course before flowing into Maumee Bay and Lake Erie. The southern half of the county is drained by the Maumee River and Swan Creek which is located north of the Maumee River and flows eastward into the Maumee near downtown Toledo. The northern portion of the county is drained by Tenmile Creek forming the Ottawa River which flows generally east to Maumee Bay at the north edge of the county near the Ohio-Michigan state line. The eastern portion of Lucas County is in the Toussaint Creek Basin and is drained by a number of small ditches and streams flowing directly to Lake Erie. In addition, Cedar and Crane Creeks also drain the eastern portion of the county and flow directly into Lake Erie. A generalized surface-water map of Lucas County is given in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Surface-water resources in Lucas County, Ohio (adapted from ODNR Division of Water river basin maps; illustration prepared by K.A. Weber).
Surface waters are affected by the 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. Residential and urban areas contain many impervious surfaces, such as streets and parking lots, that increase the amount of runoff. 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 219,776 land acres, of which 74,037 acres (33 percent) is farmland. Thirty-four soil types have been identified in the county and vary in drainage quality from very poorly drained soils in clayey glacial lake sediment; to somewhat poorly drained soils formed in loamy and sandy glacial lake sediment; to soils formed in sandy materials of lake beaches that range from well to very poorly drained; to urban land that is used for buildings and streets and in general is on soils that are poorly drained. A large portion of the soils in Lucas County are poorly to very poorly drained.
The county water acreage consists of about 320 acres of man-made lakes ranging in size from five to 51 acres as well as numerous smaller man-made ponds. The county contains approximately 99 linear miles of major streams and rivers [estimated from river basin maps, Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Water]. In addition, six miles of county-maintained ditches and numerous miles of privately maintained ditches and streams are used for land drainage.
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 like 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 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, Lucas County's 33 inches of average annual precipitation result in about 9 inches of runoff to streams and lakes, and about 5 inches have the potential to recharge aquifers annually. Values for particular locations will differ according to local conditions.
Water use for each of Lucas 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 City of Toledo system, which uses Lake Erie for its supply. The City of Oregon also uses Lake Erie as its source of water. Communities which use Lake Erie water through the city of Toledo system are Maumee, Sylvania and Waterville. The Village of Whitehouse and four small public water systems (Arrowhead Mobile Home Park, Peaceful Acres Mobile Home Park, St. James Estates, and Lial Convent) use wells as a water source.
Ground water is the major water source for rural households in Lucas County. Approximately five percent of the population obtains their water from private wells. Based on an estimated usage of 75 gallons per person per day, 1,512,150 gallons per day (gpd) from private wells are used. Additional private water use includes livestock (71,000 gpd), mostly from ground-water supplies. The remaining population uses public water supplies, as identified in Table 1.
| Table 1. Water Use in Lucas County, Ohio.1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Water System | Population Served | Primary Water Source | Water Usage (GPD)2 | Treatment Plant Capacity (GPD) |
| Toledo | 380,000 | Surface Water | 75,838,000 | 181,000,000 |
| Sylvania | 20,000 | Surface Water | 1,930,000 | 03 |
| Oregon | 18,334 | Surface Water | 4,463,000 | 8,087,000 |
| Maumee | 15,621 | Surface Water | 2,422,000 | 03 |
| Waterville | 4,167 | Surface Water | 436,000 | 03 |
| Whitehouse | 2,580 | Ground Water | 395,000 | 880,000 |
| Other4 | 644 | Ground Water | 102,950 | N/A |
| 1 Estimates from Ohio EPA 1996; information is based on data available at time of publication. | ||||
| 2 GPD = gallons per day. | ||||
| 3 Purchases water from the City of Toledo. | ||||
| 4 Includes mobile home parks, homeowners associations, and the Lial Convent; treatment plant capacity figure not available for all systems. | ||||
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, type of water sources, location and 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.
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 plants, 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 pollution sources, 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 carbonate sedimentary bedrock aquifers (most of county) and the fine-grained unconsolidated aquifers over shale bedrock (northwest portion of county) underlying Lucas County, it dissolves the minerals contained in these formations and carries them in solution. Publication AEX-490.48 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, 183 wells in the county were sampled for nitrate-nitrogen content, an indicator of water quality. Results showed that 152 wells (83 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. Nineteen wells (10.4 percent) tested in the range of 0.3 to 3.0 ppm, values that may or may not indicate human influence. The 9 wells (5 percent) that tested in the range of 3.0 to 10 ppm may indicate elevated concentrations resulting from human activities. Only 3 wells (1.6 percent) tested over the safe drinking-water standard of 10 ppm nitrate-nitrogen. The average nitrate-nitrogen concentration for the 183 wells tested was 0.65 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 Lucas County Department of Health provides bacteriological water sampling for local citizens, and results of these tests generally indicate that the water meets current bacteriological standards. For more information contact the county health department (One Government Center, Suite 470, Toledo, OH 43604).
Runoff and sediment from residential development, construction sites and agricultural lands may enter the county's streams and lakes. Also, runoff may carry pollutants such as lawn and agricultural chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers), oil and gas from spills, and industrial wastes.
Through the Ohio Nonpoint Source Assessment and 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 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 Lucas County streams are affected by nonpoint source (NPS) pollution: Crane Creek, Duck Creek, Maumee River (North Granger Island to Lake Erie), Ottawa River, Otter Creek, Swan Creek, Tenmile Creek, and Zink Ditch. These streams are affected by one or more of the following NPS pollution categories: agriculture, channelization, crop production, construction sites, in-place pollutants, industrial land treatment, hydromodification, land disposal, livestock, on-site wastewater treatment systems, pasture, sanitary landfill, sanitary sewers, specialty crops, storm sewers, urban runoff, and wastewater. Other county streams are affected by point source pollution (municipal and/or industrial wastewater). Point source affected streams include: Blue Creek, Maumee River (North Granger Island to Lake Erie), Ottawa River, Otter Creek, and Swan Creek (Blue Creek to Maumee River). Lucas County also contains streams that have good water quality and are attaining chemical and biological water quality standards. Monitoring has shown that all or parts of the following streams have good water quality: Cairl Creek, Cedar Creek (headwaters to Wards Canal), Drennan Ditch, Hill Ditch, Maumee River (Beaver Creek to Waterville), and Wolf Creek. For specific information about the streams listed in the Assessment and Inventory documents, and details about the Nonpoint Source Management Program for the county, contact the Ohio EPA Northwest District Office (347 North Dunbridge Road, Bowling Green, Ohio, 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 1996 less than half of Ohio's streams have been evaluated by the Assessment. As water quality monitoring continues statewide, the list of Lucas County affected streams and streams with good water quality will change. Residents have a major challenge to protect 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 Lucas 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 Lucas County. For more information concerning water resources and drinking-water quality in the county, contact the Lucas County office of Ohio State University Extension (One Government Center, Suite 550, Toledo, Ohio, 43604). In addition, the following agencies may be able to provide information on other water resources topics in the county: Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District; Lucas 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 43266).
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.
Environmental Trends for Toledo, Ohio 1968-1990. City of Toledo, Div. of Pollution Control, Dept. of Public Utilities.
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 Lucas County. 1986. M. Hallfrisch. 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.
Lucas County, Ohio Soil Survey. 1979. USDA-SCS.
Lucas County Ground-Water Resources. 1997. N. L. Moll, J. M. Raab, L. C. Brown and K. T. Ricker. AEX-490.48. Ohio State University Extension.
Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District Resources Inventory. 1986. USDA-SCS. Maumee Bay Environmental Quality Study--1977 Final Report. Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. W.W. Knight Foundation and others.
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.
Potentiometric-Surface Map of the Carbonate Aquifer in Silurian and Devoniam Rocks, Lucas, Sandusky, and Wood Counties, Northwestern Ohio. 1986. L. J. Breen. U.S. Department of the Interior.
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.
Toledo Area River and Stream Water Quality Data Report 1981-1986. 1987. D. M. Moline, and others. Toledo City Environmental Services Division. Dept. of Public Utilities and the Univ. of Toledo.
Water--Ohio's Remarkable Resource. 1982. ODNR Div. of Water.
Water Quality Monitoring Inventory: A Compilation of Information on Water Quality Sampling in the TMACOG Region 1970-1992. 1993. Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments.
Withdrawal and Distribution of Water By Public Water Supplies in Ohio, 1985. 1989. USGS. Open-File Report 89-423.
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: Lucas County office of OSU Extension; Overholt Drainage Education and Research Program; and the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Project (USDA CREES Grant No. 94-EWQI-1-9057).
The project leaders express appreciation to the following reviewers: Larry L. Gamble and James P. Shaw (Lucas County Sanitation Division); Matthew Horvat (Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District); Mike Oricko (Lucas County Health Department); Jim Rickenberg (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service); Rick Uscilowski (City of Toledo, Environmental Services Division); A. Wayne Jones, David Cashell and Leonard Black (ODNR Division of Water); Scott Golden (Bureau of Local Services, ODH); Steve Hindall (USGS, Ohio District); Anthony J. Kramer (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, State Office, Columbus); Julie Gillenwater (Ohio EPA Division of Drinking and Ground Waters); and Larry Antosch and Richard McClay (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