This priority area encompasses the watersheds of the Great Miami, Scioto, and Muskingum Rivers in central and southern Ohio. Very little of the Scioto River, which flows through Columbus, remains unaltered. Channelization and the practice of removing trees and streamside vegetation, in addition to agricultural and urbanization impacts, have resulted in water quality issues throughout the drainage. The Greater Miami watershed, in which Dayton is the largest city, is dominated by agricultural land use, hence the greatest impairment is non-point source pollution (25% of the streams do not meet aquatic life standards). The Muskingum River was originally dominated by forest, but is now heavily agricultural based. In these watersheds, agricultural practices and urbanization continue to impact the river systems.
Conservation Work
The potential for restoration work and collaborative efforts need to be explored, however the focus of the program would likely be on spring staging and wintering waterfowl.
Waterfowl Benefits
This area supports breeding wood ducks and mallards, but is primarily important for wintering/staging waterfowl, such as mallards, American black ducks, and scaup.
