Assessing watershed health in Pipe Creek and Old Woman Creek, Ohio
Heath Kelsey, Caroline Wicks, and Alex Fries from IAN, and Katie Foreman of the Chesapeake Bay Program, traveled to Sandusky, Ohio, to conduct a two-day workshop on the development of two local report cards. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources works with volunteers to monitor water quality in Old Woman Creek and Pipe Creek to assess the ecological health of these watersheds that flow into Lake Erie. IAN is helping to develop two related, but stand-alone report cards for these watersheds.
Old Woman Creek and Pipe Creek Report Cards
The aim of these two report cards is to provide a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of the watershed health for Old Woman Creek and Pipe Creek in 2012. Old Woman Creek, on the south-central shore of Lake Erie, is one of Ohio's few remaining examples of a natural estuary and is designated as a National Estuarine Research Reserve and an Ohio State Nature Preserve. Pipe Creek is a small tributary to Sandusky Bay on the south-central shore of Lake Erie to the west of Old Woman Creek. Old Woman Creek and Pipe Creek watershed health is defined as the progress of three water quality indicators (nitrate, soluble reactive phosphorus, and turbidity) toward scientifically derived ecological thresholds or goals. These three indicators are combined into one overarching Health Index, which is presented as the report card score. Detailed methods and results are available from the Firelands Coastal Tributaries Watershed Program. The overall score for Old Woman Creek was a C in 2012, and for Pipe Creek was a C- in 2012.
Expanding the Firelands Coastal Tributaries Report Cards
Caroline Wicks and Alex Fries traveled to Sandusky, Ohio, where they conducted a training on producing report cards for the Firelands Coastal Tributaries Watershed Program. This work is a continuation of the first two report cards for Old Woman Creek and Pipe Creek that IAN conducted last year. These small watersheds flow primarily south to north, draining into Lake Erie. While these streams are freshwater, they do include an estuary section, where water is exchanged with Lake Erie. This year's work included transferring the report card analysis and production to the Erie Soil and Water Conservation District, who is the primary producer of these report cards, as well as planning for a new report card for Mills Creek.
2013 Firelands Coastal Tributaries Report Cards Released
The aim of these three report cards is to provide a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of the watershed health for Old Woman Creek, Pipe Creek, and Mills Creek in 2013. This is the second year of the Old Woman Creek and Pipe Creek Report Cards, and the first year of the Mills Creek Report Card. All three creeks are located on the south-central shore of Lake Erie, and flow from south to north. While these streams are freshwater, they do include an estuarine section, where water is exchanged with Lake Erie. This year's report card analysis and production was done by the Erie Soil and Water Conservation District. In 2013, both Old Woman Creek and Pipe Creek grades declined. Old Woman Creek health scored a D+ in 2013, down from a C in 2012. Pipe Creek health also scored a D+ in 2013, down from a C- in 2012. Mills Creek health scored an F in 2013. Detailed methods and results are available from the Firelands Coastal Tributaries Watershed Program.