The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District, has begun an Initial Watershed Assessment (IWA) for the Scioto River Basin under the authority of Section 729 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986, to better define the water resources related problems and opportunities within the Scioto River Basin.
The IWA serves to not only identify water resources problems and opportunities, but also to refine the scope of a Final Watershed Assessment (FWA), which will address the needs of watershed stakeholders and provide a holistic plan for managing water resources throughout the Basin.
It will help guide decisions regarding the prioritization and management of water resources related problems and opportunities such as flooding, water quality, storm water management and floodplain management.
Watershed planning under the Section 729 authority addresses identified water resources related problems and opportunities in the watershed and helps shape a joint vision for managing those water resources.
Specifically, an IWA for the Scioto River Basin will allow for the study of recurring flooding issues experienced throughout the basin and the development of potential solutions. It may also examine issues such as water quality, and floodplain and storm water management.
The Scioto River Basin lies in west central Ohio and covers approximately 6,500 square miles. The Scioto River is 231 miles long and flows through all or parts of 31 counties. It rises in Auglaize County, flows through Columbus, where it joins with the Olentangy River and meets the Ohio River at Portsmouth.
The Initial Watershed Assessment is expected to be completed by September 30, 2015 and is fully federally funded.