Figure 1. Average monthly precipitation (inches) in Richland County, Ohio (1951-1980).
Barry W. Ward
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 Richland County. Among the population of 126,137 (1990 census data), approximately 30 percent of all households rely on private ground-water supplies to supply their domestic and agricultural needs. Residents that understand where water is obtained and how it is used in Richland County can gain a better appreciation for their water as the important resource it is. Providing a brief overview of Richland County's water resources, such as rivers, streams, ponds, reservoirs and ground water, this fact sheet is intended is 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. OSU Extension publications are available from all county Extension offices.
An average of approximately 36 inches of precipitation falls on Richland County annually. Variations in average precipitation occur from place to place in the county. A 30-year period of record at four different precipitation recording sites demonstrate this variation: average annual precipitation at the Plymouth site was 37.2 inches; Charles Mill Dam - 35.9 inches; and at two sites in Mansfield, 37.0 and 34.9 inches, respectively. Figure 1 illustrates the average monthly precipitation for the period 1951 to 1980. Based on the 30-year record averaged from all four sites, the average precipitation is about 3.0 inches per month, with February (1.9 inches) typically being the driest month, and July (4.1 inches) the wettest. There can be, however, extreme variation in some years and in certain months within a year. Such seasonal and yearly extremes, which may have serious consequences, are not apparent from long term precipitation information.
Figure 1. Average monthly precipitation (inches) in Richland County,
Ohio (1951-1980).
Richland County has two major drainage basins: Black Fork and Clear Fork of the Mohican River. Streams emptying into the Black Fork that drain other parts of the county include: Big Run, Honey Creek, Rocky Fork, Seymour Run, Whetstone Creek, Brubaker Creek, Shipp Creek, Leatherwood Creek, Bear Run and Marsh Run. Tributaries flowing into Clear Fork include: Pine Run, Horsetail Run, Switzer Creek, Opossum Run, Slater Run, Smokey Run, Honey Creek and Cedar Fork. All of these drainage basins are important because they are part of the Muskingum River basin, which flows into the Ohio River, a major source of water for southeastern and southern Ohio, and other states. A generalized surface-water map of the county is given in Figure 2.
The Black Fork of the Mohican River basin has an area of approximately 351 square miles, and winds its way from west to east across the northern part of the county, and down the east side until it meets the Clear Fork. The Clear Fork basin (approximately 218 square miles) stretches across the southern half of the county into Ashland County, where it joins the Black Fork to form the Mohican River.
Richland County also contains parts of three major reservoirs within its boundaries. The Charles Mill and Pleasant Hill reservoirs both lie in Richland and Ashland counties; areas are 1,350 and 850 acres, respectively. The Clear Fork Reservoir, which lies in Richland and Morrow counties, is approximately 997 water acres in size.
The county contains approximately 318,080 land acres, of which approximately 63 percent is rural. More than 120 different soil types are present, the majority of which are somewhat poorly drained soils formed in glacial till. The total water acreage consists of about 1,200 acres of lakes and approximately 280 linear miles of streams and rivers (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 Richland County, Ohio (modified
from ODNR Division of Water river basin maps).
The primary ground-water sources are the regional sandstone aquifer and various sand and gravel aquifers, that serve as adequate water supplies for county residents. The sandstone aquifer is made up of massive-to-thin bedded units of fine-grained to conglomerate sandstone, composed mostly of quartz, cemented by calcite, silica, iron and clay. The unconsolidated aquifers consist of coarse sands and gravel with mixtures of clay.
Well yields of greater than 1,000 gallons per minute (gpm) may be developed in parts of the Clear Fork River valley. Yields of 200 to 1,000 gpm may be developed in parts of the Black Fork and Rocky Fork River basins, where coarse-grained sand and gravel aquifers are present. The yield potential decreases in the regional sandstone aquifer, which covers the rest of the county. Formations in the northwestern portion of the county have the lowest yield potential. An overview of the ground-water resources in the county is given in Richland County Ground-Water Resources, AEX-490.70.
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.
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 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, Richland County's 36 inches of average annual precipitation results 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.
The county has eight cities and villages that have public-water systems. Table 1 lists these public-water systems, along with the population served, primary water source, estimated daily water usage and treatment plant capacity. These systems provide water for domestic, commercial and industrial uses, which should be considered when using the data in Table 1.
Six of these eight public-water systems are supplied solely by ground-water sources. Bellville, Lucas and Shiloh each maintain two wells. Butler maintains three wells and is considering drilling a fourth. Lexington utilizes four wells and Ontario serves its population with five wells. Mansfield serves its population with surface water from the Clear Fork Reservoir and ground water from 10 wells. Shelby serves its population with surface water supplied by the Black Fork River and ground water supplied by two dug wells. Plymouth presently purchases its water from Willard, but is considering reactivating its own wells.
| Table 1. Water Use in Richland County, Ohio.1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Water System | Population Served | Primary Water Source | Water Usage (GPD)2 | Treatment Plant Capacity (GPD) |
| Bellville | 1,700 | Ground Water | 136,000 | 700,000 |
| Butler | 1,000 | Ground Water | 85,000 | 550,000 |
| Lexington | 4,500 | Ground Water | 440,000 | 1,500,000 |
| Lucas | 750 | Ground Water | 70,000 | 158,000 |
| Mansfield | 51,000 | Surface Water3 | 9,900,000 | 25,000,000 |
| Ontario | 4,100 | Ground Water | 500,000 | 1,400,000 |
| Shelby | 9,800 | Surface Water4 | 1,600,000 | 3,300,000 |
| Shiloh | 860 | Ground Water | 80,000 | 250,000 |
| 1 Abstracted from Inventory of Municipal Water-Supply Systems by County, Ohio (1977), and updated with data provided by Pat Williamson and Doug Scharp, Ohio EPA, Northwest District Office, Bowling Green, OH. | ||||
| 2 GPD = gallons per day. | ||||
| 3 Primary source is Clear Fork Reservoir; secondary source is ground water. | ||||
| 4 Primary source is Black Fork River; secondary source is ground water. | ||||
Water pumped from both unconsolidated and consolidated formations underlying Richland County is generally of good quality. The hardness of water from the unconsolidated sand and gravel deposits is generally much greater than that from the consolidated sandstone. The iron content of water from sandstone is generally low, while that of the water from sand and gravel deposits is high enough to require treatment before use for many purposes. The concentrations of most other constituents are low enough not to prevent the water's use for most purposes.
Human activities, such as agricultural production, domestic waste disposal and lawn and turf care, may have some influence on ground-water quality in Richland County. In 1988, 125 county wells were sampled for nitrate content; 72 (58 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. Forty-two wells (34 percent) were tested in the range of 0.3 to 3.0 ppm; these values may or may not indicate human influence. The 10 wells (8 percent) that tested in the range of 3.0 to 10 ppm may indicate elevated concentrations resulting from human activities. Only 1 well (<1 percent) tested at greater than 10 ppm nitrate-nitrogen, which exceeds the safe drinking-water standard. The average test value over the 125 wells tested was just under 1.0 ppm.
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 Richland 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 provide information to the public on water facts for Richland County. For more information on water resources and drinking-water quality in the county, contact the Richland County Extension office. In addition, the following agencies may be able to provide information on other water resources topics in the county: Richland Soil and Water Conservation District; USDA Soil Conservation Service; Richland 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); and 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 Richland County Extension office.
Central Ohio Water Plan. 1977. ODNR Division of Water.
Gazetteer of Ohio Streams. 1960. Ohio Water Inventory Report No. 12. ODNR Division of Water.
Ground-Water Resources of Richland County. 1979. 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. Climatography 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 Demographics: 1991 Reference Tables and Maps. NCR 146 Annual Report.
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.
Private Water Systems Handbook. 1987. MWPS-14. Midwest Plan Service, Ames, IA. (Available through your county Extension office).
Richland County Ground-Water Resources. 1992. B.W. Ward, J.M. Raab, K.M. Boone and L.C. Brown. AEX-490.70. Ohio Cooperative Extension Service, The Ohio State University.
Richland County, Ohio Soil Survey. 1987. USDA-Soil Conservation Service.
Soil and Water Conservation District Resource Inventory. 1985. USDA-Soil Conservation Service.
Southeast Ohio Water Plan - Public Water Supply. 1978. 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.
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; Richland County Extension Office; Richland Soil and Water Conservation District; 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: James M. Raab, David Cashell and Leonard Black (ODNR Division of Water); Scott Golden (Environmental Health, ODH); Jim Papritan (Agricultural Engineering, OSU); Larry Antosch (Ohio EPA Division of Water Quality Planning and Assessment); and Tim Fishbaugh (Ohio EPA Division of Drinking and Ground Water).
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.
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