The Scioto River Valley is an agricultural oasis that Ohioans have relied upon for centuries.  Today, people continue to reap the benefits of the Scioto River watershed. Rich soils help farmers to produce an abundance of food while the river’s waters provide drinking water and recreational opportunities for thousands.

Unfortunately, so much demand has been placed on this system that its health has deteriorated over the years.

Sediment from erosion, excess nutrients and other pollutants from farming and urban development threaten its waters and contribute to dangerously low levels of oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico, where the Scioto’s waters eventually drain.

Recognizing these threats, The Nature Conservancy has been working with the USDA Farm Service Agency, ODNR Division of Soil and Water Conservation, Environmental Defense and other conservation partners to protect this biologically diverse river. 

On the Banks of the River  

Approved in 2004, The Scioto River Watershed Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (Scioto CREP) helps to combat these stresses by offering incentives to farmers who adopt conservation practices alongside the river. 

These conservation practices, which include tree planting and wetland restoration, act as buffers by filtering runoff before it reaches the river. When employed, these techniques enhance water quality, prevent erosion, protect the plant and animal life in the water and on the surrounding land, and safeguard drinking water. 

So far, farmers have enrolled more than 55,000 acres in 15-year conservation agreements throughout the 4-million-acre Scioto River Watershed. 

Permanent Solutions   

While the USDA and partner organization payments focus on these 15-year conservation agreements, The Nature Conservancy plays a unique role in the program by providing additional dollars to purchase permanent conservation easements.

In 2007, landowners Tom and Mary Harp and their neighbors, Lester and Carol Imboden, agreed to permanently protect more than 450 acres of floodplain forest and wetland on their farms in Ross and Pickaway counties.  These working conservation easements, which were funded in part by The Nature Conservancy, allow the families to continue to own their land but permanently protect more than five miles of stream corridor. 

All of this protection is good news for the longest free-flowing river in Ohio and the people who depend on it.  The 220-mile Scioto River provides a crucial link between the rich aquatic life found in its major tributaries and the larger Ohio River Basin, is home to a diversity of fish and mussel species, and is the source of drinking water for 20 municipal systems. 

The Farm Service Agency estimates that when the 70,000-acre goal is met, sediment and phosphorous in the stream will decline by 20 percent and wildlife habitat will be increased by 15 percent.  

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Ohio Department of Natural Resources (Scioto River); Photo © Randall Edwards/TNC (Tom Harp and Lester Imboden); Photo © Randall Edwards/TNC (Scioto River)