Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet

Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

590 Woody Hayes Dr., Columbus, Ohio 43210

Washington County Water Resources

AEX-480.84

James M. Barrett
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 Washington County. The county is predominantly rural with a population of 64,266, and about 90 percent of 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 as the important resource it is. Providing a brief overview of Washington 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. OSU Extension publications are available through all county Extension offices.

Precipitation

An average of approximately 37 inches of precipitation falls on Washington 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 3.1 inches per month, with February and November (2.4 inches) typically being the driest months, and July (4.0 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, often are not apparent from the long-term precipitation information.

Figure 1. Average monthly precipitation (inches) in Washington County, Ohio (1951-1980).

Surface-Water Resources

Washington County, bordered on the south and the east by the Ohio River, contains 410,240 land acres. The county is located within the unglaciated Allegheny plateau physiographic region of Ohio. Thirteen different soil associations are found in the county, and the soils are dominantly well drained.

Washington County has four major drainage basins: the Muskingum River, Duck Creek, Little Hocking River and Little Muskingum River. Other streams in the county are Whipple Run, Paw Paw Creek, East Fork Duck Creek, West Fork Duck Creek, West Branch of Hocking River, Archers Fork, Rainbow Creek, Wolf Creek, South Branch and West Branch. All of these streams are important because they are tributaries of the Ohio River, which is an important water supply for southeastern and southern Ohio, and other states.

With its mouth located at Marietta, the Muskingum River basin drains 8,038 square miles. Major Washington County streams that flow into the Muskingum River are Rainbow Creek and Cat Creek. Duck Creek basin drains 288 square miles of land in Washington and Noble Counties; the Little Hocking River basin drains 103 square miles in Washington County; and the Little Muskingum River basin drains 315 square miles in Washington, Muskingum, Perry and Licking counties. A generalized surface-water resources map for Washington County is shown in Figure 2.

The county's surface-water resources include 274 acres of lakes and large ponds, and approximately 765 linear miles of streams and rivers (estimated from river basin maps, ODNR Division of Water). This availability lends itself to many uses by communities, industries and individuals.

Figure 2. Surface-water resources in Washington County, Ohio (modified from ODNR Division of Water river basin maps).

Ground-Water Resources

The primary ground-water source is the relatively thick permeable layer of silt, sand and gravel deposited beneath a thin layer of alluvial and gravely clay along the Ohio and Muskingum River valleys. Where these deposits are in contact with the Ohio River, well yields as high as 1,000 gallons per minute (gpm) can be expected. Wells along the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers provide an adequate supply of water to the cities of Marietta and Belpre, and the communities of Little Hocking, Bartlett, Barlow, Vincent, Lowell, Beverly, Waterford, New Matamoras, Reno, Newport, Macksburg and other small communities throughout the county.

Except for the higher yielding areas along the Ohio and Muskingum rivers, well yields throughout the remainder of the county are extremely low, and yields of less than 5 gpm are common. Average yield from the sandstone, shale and limestone bedrock is 2 gpm. Cistern supplies are commonly used throughout the county. An overview of the ground water resources in the county is given in Washington County Ground Water Resources, AEX-490.84.

The yield of a well will vary 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, Washington County's 37 inches of average 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

Ground water is the major water source for households in Washington County. Eighty-five percent of county residents are served by community water systems. The remaining households are served by private wells, ponds or cisterns.

The county has 17 community water systems. Table 1 lists the association or community providing public-water service, 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.

All of these water systems are supplied by ground-water sources, but only the following 10 systems have their own wells: Belpre: 3 wells; Beverly: 4 wells; Camelot West: 1 well; Little Hocking: 4 wells; Lowell: 2 wells; Marietta: 6 wells; Matamoras: 3 wells; Newport: 2 wells; Putnam Community: 4 wells; and Waterford: 2 wells. The other water systems purchase water from various associations to supply their customers.

Table 1. Water Use in Washington County, Ohio.1
Public Water System	Population Served	Primary Water Source	Usage (GPD)2	Treatment Plant Capacity (GPD)
Belpre	10,000	Ground Water	928,000	1,700,000
Beverly	1,444	Ground Water	198,700	1,368,000
Camelot West MHP	64	Ground Water	9,600	9,600
Little Hocking WA	8,220	Ground Water	864,000	1,368,000
Lowell	611	Ground Water	86,000	115,000
Marietta	21,520	Ground Water	3,362,800	5,800,000
Marsh Run 4-H WA	112	Purchased	13,307	-3
Matamoras	1,024	Ground Water	120,000	250,000
Newport	1,225	Ground Water	69,475	288,000
Putnam Comm WA	2,475	Ground Water	220,933	864,000
Reno AWSA #1	1,332	Purchased	125,200	-
Reno AWSA #2	860	Purchased	57,500	-
Reno AWSA Kardex	193	Purchased	10,200	-
Reno AWSA Sunv.	115	Purchased	11,700	-
Sandhill WSA	370	Purchased	26,092	-
Warren C WSA #2	3,300	Ground Water	550,000	-
Waterford	750	Ground Water	52,488	288,000
1 Abstracted from Inventory of Municipal Water-Supply Systems by County, Ohio (1977) and updated with data provided by Gary Stellrect, Ohio EPA, Division of Drinking and Ground Water, Southeast District Office, Logan, OH.
2 GPD = gallons per day.
3 Not applicable.

Water Quality

As water moves through the bedrock underlying Washington County, it dissolves and carries in solution minerals contained within it. Ground water from bedrock formations, and the sand and gravel deposits, generally has high iron and dissolved solids contents. Sometimes the ground water may need treatment before use.

Human activities, such as agricultural production, domestic waste disposal and lawn and turf care, may have some influence on ground-water quality in Washington County. In 1988, 180 county wells were sampled for nitrate content, of which 75 (42 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. Seventy wells (39 percent) were tested in the range of 0.3 to 3.0 ppm; these values may or may not indicate human influence. The 33 wells (18 percent) that tested in the range of 3.0 to 10 ppm may indicate elevated concentrations resulting from human activities. Only 2 wells (1 percent) tested at greater than 10 ppm nitrate-nitrogen, which exceeds the safe drinking-water standard. The average test value for the 180 wells tested was just under 1.8 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. Runoff and sediment from residential development, construction sites, agricultural lands and mining and logging operations, 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. Washington 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 portions of Washington 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 Washington County. For more information on water resources and drinking-water quality in the county, contact the Washington County Extension office. In addition, the following agencies may be able to provide information on other water resources topics in the county: Washington Soil and Water Conservation District; USDA Soil Conservation Service; Washington 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 Washington County Extension office.

Bibliography

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

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.

Little Muskingum River and Duck Creek Basins. 1959. J.J. Schmidt. Ohio Water Plan Inventory Project. 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 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).

Soil and Water Conservation District Resource Inventory. 1985. USDA-Soil Conservation Service.

Soil Survey of Washington County, Ohio. 1977. USDA-Soil Conservation Service. Surface and Ground Water Terminology. 1990. L.C. Brown and L.P. Black. AEX-460. Ohio Cooperative Extension Service, The Ohio State University.

Washington County Ground-Water Resources. 1992. J.M. Barrett, J.M. Raab, K.M. Boone and L.C. Brown. AEX-490.84. Ohio Cooperative Extension Service, The Ohio State University.

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

Acknowledgements

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; Washington 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: James M. Raab, David Cashell and Leonard Black (ODNR Division of Water); Larry Antosch (Ohio EPA Division of Water Quality Planning and Assessment); Scott Golden (Environmental Health, ODH); and Michael Preston (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.