Lower Scioto River Basin

Building partnerships to sustain high-quality waters

As the longest free-flowing river in Ohio, the Scioto River provides a crucial link between the rich aquatic life found in its major tributaries and the larger Ohio River Basin. Often cited as a Clean Water Act “success story,” the Scioto today is home to a diversity of fish species, from colorful darters to the shovelnose sturgeon, as well as freshwater mussels, crayfish,amphibians and reptiles. The Scioto drains extensive farm acreage, as well as the streets of Ohio’s largest city, collecting sediment from erosion, excess nutrients and other pollutants from farming and urban development. These pollutants threaten endangered fish and freshwater mussels and other life in the river. Downstream, they contribute to dangerously low oxygen levels in the Gulf of Mexico. The Nature Conservancy is working with local, state and federal agencies and other conservation groups to protect streamside habitat and aquatic species in the Scioto and its tributaries, which include the Big Darby Creek National Scenic River. The Scioto basin supports thriving urban and agricultural communities, as well as a highly-diversified collection of flora and fauna, so the Conservancy’s conservation work in this region means finding a delicate balance between the needs of both humans and wildlife alike.

Conservation Profile
The Lower Scioto River Basin is a network of connected high-quality streams in a mostly rural setting, including five watersheds within the basin that have been chosen for immediate conservation action due to their aquatic biological diversity: the Little and Big Darby Creeks, Middle and Lower Scioto River, Paint Creek, Salt Creek, and Scioto Brush Creek. These rivers are located in the heart of the Teays-Old Ohio Freshwater Ecoegion, which is second only to the Tennessee- Cumberland region in total number of native species. The Scioto Basin harbors 115 native fish species, including a rare complex of colorful darters as well as migratory fish such as the paddlefish, shovelnose sturgeon, and blue sucker. It also provides a home to 67 freshwater mussels, including the globally imperiled northern riffleshell, clubshell, rabbitsfoot, and salamander mussels. The most significant threats to this system include sedimentation from farming and urban development, high levels of nutrients, and altered stream flows caused by diversions, dams, and farm drainage. By supporting water quality improvements and natural water flows through a strategic system of aquatic reserves and riparian zone restoration, The Nature Conservancy hopes to preserve and restore this precious waterway located in the heart of Ohio.

The spotted darter, endangered in Ohio, has recently been found in the Scioto River. © Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The Conservancy’s conservation work in this region means finding a delicate balance between the needs of both humans and wildlife alike.

Innovative Partnerships
In the Lower Scioto River Basin, human activities compete with the needs of aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. The Conservancy’s efforts here require collaboration with both the local community and conservation partners.

1. Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program: The Nature Conservancy has been working with the USDA Farm Service Agency, ODNR’s Division of Soil and Water Conservation, Environmental Defense and other conservation partners to protect streamside habitat and aquatic species. As part of a $207 million project, the Scioto River Watershed Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) pays cash to farmers and other landowners in exchange for a long-term commitment to conservation practices, such as planting bottomland hardwoods and protecting riparian buffers. Seventy thousand acres along the Scioto are eligible for enrollment in this voluntary program; the Conservancy is offering additional incentives to landowners who are willing to make these protections permanent in specified areas.

2. Darby Headwaters: In addition to basin-wide efforts, the Conservancy has been working for more than a decade to protect the Big Darby Creek National Scenic River, where at least 2,000 acres along the mainstem and its tributaries have been protected by the Conservancy and its partners. Included in this total are 659 acres along the Big Darby’s headwaters that has been conserved by the Conservancy and the Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves. The Conservancy also is working on a wetland and stream restoration project in the Darby headwaters, with plans to develop a preserve.

Innovative Strategies
With so many Ohioans dependant on the Lower Scioto River Basin, long-term maintenance of this crucial resource is essential. By identifying key conservation threats, the Conservancy is able to develop effective solutions to ensure lasting results:

1. Purchasing conservation easements to guard critical river basin landscapes from development and agricultural pressures.
2. Targeted land acquisitions of tributary headwater lands to help nourish and protect waterways by preserving the woods, wetlands, and floodplains at a river’s source.
3. Promoting and supporting riverbank and wetland restoration projects to protect against erosion and pollution