Figure 1. Average monthly precipitation (inches) in Wayne County, Ohio (1951-1980).
Terry Beck
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 Wayne County. The county's population of 101,461 is predominantly rural (62 percent; 1990 census data), and about 45 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 Wayne 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 from all county Extension offices.
An average of approximately 36 inches of precipitation falls on Wayne 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 3.0 inches per month, with February (1.9 inches) typically being the driest month, and July (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, often are not apparent from the longterm precipitation information.
Figure 1. Average monthly precipitation (inches) in Wayne County,
Ohio (1951-1980).
Wayne County is part of the Muskingum watershed. With the largest drainage area in Ohio, the Muskingum drains 8,051 square miles, or about 20 percent of the state. The Muskingum River watershed is regulated throughout its length by reservoirs, which are located mainly on its tributaries.
Seven watersheds make up more than 90 percent of the Wayne County drainage. The most extensive of these is the Killbuck Creek drainage system, which crosses the western half of the county from north to south, and drains about 73,300 acres. A major tributary of Killbuck Creek, Apple Creek and its tributaries drain about 35,200 acres. The Chippewa Creek and Newman Creek systems in the northeastern part of the county drain about 68,000 and 26,600 acres, respectively. Sugar Creek drains a 67,200 acre area, which extends from the north central part of the county to the southeast corner. Salt Creek, draining an area of about 16,700 acres, lies between the Killbuck Creek watershed and the headwaters of Apple Creek and little Sugar Creek. Muddy Fork Creek, mainly in Ashland County, drains about 43,500 acres in Wayne County along its western border. The Kiser Ditch, a major tributary in Clinton and Plain townships, flows north and northwest into the Muddy Fork. About 28,400 acres along the county boundaries, or almost 8 percent of the county, flows into surrounding counties. A generalized surface-water map of Wayne County is given in Figure 2.
Wayne County contains approximately 358,912 land acres of which approximately 75 percent is considered rural. Thirty-nine different soil types are present, which are well-drained and poorly-drained with a majority being somewhat poorly drained. The county water acreage is about 520 acres, consisting of hundreds of ponds and a few small lakes that range from 1/4 acre to more than 5 acres in size. The majority of these ponds are filled from precipitation, springs and runoff. In addition, the county has approximately 430 linear miles of streams and rivers (estimated from river basin maps, ODNR Division of Water). These surface-water bodies generally are not important for agriculture or domestic water use, but serve an important recreational purpose, and many other uses by both communities and individuals. further reading, refer to Ohio's Hydrologic Cycle, AEX-461.
Figure 2. Surface-water resources in Wayne County, Ohio (modified
from ODNR Division of Water river basin maps).
The primary ground-water sources in Wayne County are the sandstone, and unconsolidated sand and gravel aquifers. These serve as water supplies for both individual wells and for several county villages, such as Creston, Doylestown, Shreve, Smithville and West Salem. Three major unconsolidated sand and gravel aquifers serve the cities of Wooster, Orrville and Rittman. Well yields of 100 to 1,000 gallons per minute (gpm) can be developed from the sand and gravel aquifers within the major river valleys in the county.
In the majority of Wayne County, ground water is obtained from sandstone aquifers. These aquifers are fine- to medium-grained, and often are interbedded with shale, coal, clay and thin limestone. Well yields from sandstone aquifers range from 10 to 100 gpm. In a few isolated areas, ground-water yields are poor, and wells must be drilled more than 300 feet deep to obtain yields of 10 gpm. An overview of the ground-water resources in the county is given in Wayne County Ground-Water Resources, AEX-490.85.
The yield of a well will vary considerably depending upon the age and depth of the well, well construction, 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 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 spring, 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 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, Wayne 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.
Ground water is a major water source in Wayne County, where approximately 98 percent of all households use ground water and nearly 45 percent of all households have private wells. The remaining 53 percent use public water supplies with ground water as the source, except for those supplied by West Salem.
The county has 13 cities and villages that have public-water systems. Some of these villages use multiple wells to supply ground water. Table 1 lists the towns and villages with a public water system, 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.
Throughout Wayne County, there are 84 public water systems. There are 43 community public water systems, of which cities and villages comprise 13 (Table 1), and 30 trailer parks, nursing homes and others. Classified as non-transient, non-community public water supplies, 16 schools and 25 businesses have their own water systems.
| Table 1. Water Use in Wayne County, Ohio.1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Water System | Population Served | Primary Water Source | Water Usage (GPD)2 | Treatment Plant Capacity (GPD) |
| Apple Creek | 850 | Ground Water | 120,000 | 255,000 |
| Creston | 1,800 | Ground Water | 100,000 | 300,000 |
| Dalton | 1,300 | Ground Water | 153,000 | 180,000 |
| Doylestown | 3,000 | Ground Water | 225,000 | 300,000 |
| Fredericksburg | 600 | Ground Water | 42,000 | -3 |
| Marshalville | 836 | Ground Water | 78,500 | 150,000 |
| Mount Eaton | 286 | Ground Water | 40,000 | - |
| Orrville | 8,000 | Ground Water | 1,710,000 | 1,200,000 |
| Rittman | 6,900 | Ground Water | 550,000 | 2,000,000 |
| Shreve | 1,700 | Ground Water | 229,900 | 1,000,000 |
| Smithville | 1,500 | Ground Water | 175,000 | 497,000 |
| West Salem | 1,500 | Surface Water | 110,000 | 150,000 |
| Wooster | 22,190 | Ground Water | 2,879,000 | 7,000,000 |
| 1 Abstracted from Inventory of Municipal Water-Supply Systems by County, Ohio (1977) and updated with data provided by Genine M. Brooks, Ohio EPA, Division of Drinking and Ground Water, Northeast District Office, Twinsburg, OH. | ||||
| 2 GPD = gallons per day. | ||||
| 3 Not available. | ||||
Human activities, such as agricultural production, domestic waste disposal, and lawn and turf care, may have some influence on ground-water quality in Wayne County. During 1987 and 1988, 398 county wells were sampled for nitrate content, of which 224 (56 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. Sixty-eight wells (17 percent) were tested in the range of 0.3 to 3.0 ppm; these values may or may not indicate human influence. The 75 wells (19 percent) that tested in the range of 3.0 to 10 ppm, may indicate elevated concentrations resulting from human activities. Thirty-one wells (8 percent) tested at greater than 10 ppm nitrate-nitrogen, which exceeds the safe drinking-water standard. The average test value for the 398 wells tested was just under 2.5 ppm.
Another aspect of water quality in Wayne County is sediment loading in the streams and rivers. About 7,000 tons of sediment per day are carried by Wayne County streams, amounting to about 550,000 tons per year. These sediments are detrimental because they fill in the channels of the streams. 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. Wayne 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.
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 Wayne 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 Wayne County. For more information on water resources and drinking-water quality in the county, contact the Wayne County Extension office. In addition, the following agencies may be able to provide information on other water resources topics in the county: Wayne Soil and Water Conservation District; USDA Soil Conservation Service; Wayne 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 Wayne County Extension office.
Gazetteer of Ohio Streams. 1960. Ohio Water Inventory Report No. 12. ODNR Division of Water.
Ground-Water Resources of Wayne County. 1979. K. Crowell. 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 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).
Soil and Water Conservation District Resource Inventory. 1985. 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.
Water - Ohio's Remarkable Resource. 1982. ODNR Division of Water. Watershed Plan and Environmental Assessment For Upper Killbuck Creek Watershed. 1985. USDA-Soil Conservation Service.
Wayne County Ground-Water Resources. 1992. T. Beck, J.M. Raab, K.M. Boone and L.C. Brown. AEX-490.85. Ohio Cooperative Extension Service, The Ohio State University.
Wayne County, Ohio Soil Survey. 1987. USDA-Soil Conservation Service.
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: Wayne County Extension Office; Wayne 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); Larry Antosch (Ohio EPA Division of Water Quality Planning and Assessment); and Andy Klakulak (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 Information and Applied Communications, 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