Little Miami River
Little Miami National Scenic River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• coordinates | 39°49′39″N 83°34′36″W / 39.82750°N 83.57667°W[2] S of Plattsburgh[1] Clark County, Ohio |
• elevation | 1,151 ft (351 m)[1] |
Mouth | |
• coordinates | 39°04′41″N 84°25′59″W / 39.07806°N 84.43306°W[2] with the Ohio River at California, Cincinnati Hamilton County, Ohio |
• elevation | 446 ft (136 m)[2] |
Length | 111 mi (179 km)[3] |
Basin size | 1,757 sq mi (4,550 km2)[4] |
Discharge | |
• average | 1,280 cu ft/s (36 m3/s)[5] |
Type | Scenic, Recreational |
Designated | August 20, 1973 |
The Little Miami River (
Hydrography
The Little Miami River is a tributary of the Ohio River. It is part of a watershed that drains a 1,757 square miles (4,550 km2) area in 11 southwestern Ohio counties: Clark, Montgomery, Madison, Greene, Warren, Butler, Clinton, Clermont, Brown, Hamilton, and Highland.[4] The river discharges on average 1,737 cubic feet per second (49.2 m3/s) into the Ohio River.[5] An average of 1,280 cubic feet per second (36 m3/s) flow through the river proper; after heavy rains, the river flow may rise to 84,100 cubic feet per second (2,380 m3/s).[7]
Tributaries of the Little Miami include Beaver Creek, Sugar Creek, the East Fork Little Miami, North Fork, Todd's Fork, Duck Creek, Caesar Creek, Massie Creek, and
The river's headwaters, considered part of the North Fork, are located about 5 miles (8.0 km) from South Charleston in Clark County,[11] near Plattsburgh.[1] The river empties into the Ohio River at California, a neighborhood of Cincinnati in Hamilton County.[12] Between the headwaters and the mouth, there is a 705-foot (215 m) decrease in elevation.[11]
History
The Little Miami River is named for the
In 1967 The Ohio University Development Planning Institute (Athens, Ohio) published "The Little Miami of Ohio; A Study of a Wild and Scenic River". This 56-page booklet, illustrated with maps and black and white photographs, first presented the idea of a corridor of parks and natural areas along the river.
In June 1967 Dayton newspaper editor Glenn Thompson would bring together educator Arthur Morgan, business leader Charles Sawyer, and outdoor enthusiast Corwin Fred to form Little Miami Incorporated, dedicated to the preservation of the Little Miami River. Mr. Thompson was the editor of the Dayton Journal-Herald in the late 1950s, and a strong advocate for the preservation of green space in the Miami Valley. The members of the newly formed Little Miami Incorporated would convince Ohio Congressman Clarence Brown to ask for inclusion of the Little Miami in the final list of 27 rivers to be studied for a proposed Scenic Rivers Bill.
The 1968 Wild and Scenic River Act designated portions of the Little Miami National Scenic River as Ohio's first
Hydropower of the Little Miami River was developed into the largest privately owned ammunition manufacturing center between New England and the Mississippi River. Company towns for the Miami Powder Company and Peters Cartridge Company were built at Goes Station and Kings Mills, respectively.[16] The portion of Peters Cartridge Company factory on the opposite side of the river from Kings Mills in Hamilton Township, which closed in 1944 and is now owned by DuPont, was declared a Superfund site in 1996. Since then, studies by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency have established that the site no longer poses an environmental hazard to the nearby river.[17] Even so, the site was listed as a Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) site by the Environmental Protection Agency in April 2012 for copper, lead and mercury soil contamination. In September 2018, 15 acres of the 71-acre site was removed for the NPL after successful cleanup goals were achieved.[18]
Ecology
The Little Miami River is home to at least 87 species of fish, as well as many species of turtles, frogs, water snakes, birds, mammals and invertebrates. The river contains 36 species of mussels, including two threatened species, one of which is endangered. Ohio considers five of the species to be endangered.[19] Recently, zebra mussels and Asiatic clams have crowded out native species.
The river is protected by a number of nature preserves owned by Little Miami Inc., as well as by state and local parks (see below).[20]
Recreation
The Little Miami River is a
The Little Miami is also popular among
Places and point of interest
The following places, towns, and points of interest are located on the Little Miami starting at the headwaters in Clark County and proceeding down the river to its mouth on the Ohio River.
- Clark County – Headwaters of river
- Greene County, Ohio
- Warren County
- Waynesville
- Corwin
- Caesar Creek Gorge– mouth of Caesar Creak leading to Caesar Creek Gorge and Lake.
- Oregonia
- Mathers Mill – canoe livery, public access
- Jeremiah Morrow Bridge – Interstate 71 bridge crossing over the river valley
- Fort Ancient– canoe livery, public access
- Morrow – canoe livery, mouth of Todds Fork tributary
- South Lebanon
- Kings Mills – historic Peters Cartridge factory
- Fosters – historic settlement & public access
- Clermont County east side of river, Hamilton County west side of river
- Hamilton County
- Terrace Park
- Mariemont
- Cincinnati
- Lunken Field– Cincinnati Municipal Airport is along the bank of the river
- Ohio River – mouth of the Little Miami River
See also
- Great Miami River
- List of rivers of Ohio
- Little Miami Railroad
- Little Miami Bike Trail
References
- ^ a b c 5027606&quad=South%20Vienna&state=OH&grid= 7.5X7.5 South Vienna Quadrangle (ZIP/PDF) (Map) (1991 ed.). 1:24,000. 7.5 minute series (topographic). Cartography by Division of Geological Survey, Ohio Department of Natural Resources. United States Geological Survey. 1961. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
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value (help) - ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Little Miami River
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed May 26, 2011
- ^ a b "Little Miami River Watershed". Little Miami River Partnership. 2008-06-29. Archived from the original on 2012-02-18. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
- ^ ISSN 0024-3590. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
- ^ "Shawnees Webpage". Shawnee's Reservation. 1997. Archived from the original on 2013-05-02. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
- ^ "Little Miami River". Ohio Boating Destinations Audio Tour. Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
- ^ "Glen Helen (map)" (PDF). Glen Helen Nature Preserve. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
- ^ a b "Little Miami River Basin" (PDF).
- ^ "Ohio Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy". Division of Wildlife, Ohio Department of Natural Resources. p. 428. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
- ^ The Generations Network. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
- ^ Newport Quadrangle (ZIP/PDF) (Map) (1988 ed.). 1:24,000. 7.5 minute series (topographic). Cartography by Kentucky Geological Survey and City of Cincinnati. United States Geological Survey. 1983. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 207.
- ^ "40th Anniversary of Ohio Scenic Rivers Program set for Oct. 2" (Press release). Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 2008-09-26. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
- ^ Randall E. Sanders, ed. (2001). "Stream Laws" (PDF). A Guide to Ohio Streams (PDF). Columbus, Ohio: Streams Committee, Ohio Chapter, American Fisheries Society. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
- ^ Sullebarger Associates, PAST Architects. "Ahimaaz King House and Carriage House Historic Structure Report" (PDF). Deerfield Township, Ohio. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- ^ Clark, Michael D. (2007-12-19). "EPA: Old Peters site not polluting". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Gannett Company. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ EPA's Superfund Site Information for PETERS CARTRIDGE FACTORY, Environmental Protection Agency
- ^ "Little Miami State and National Scenic River". Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
- Gannett Company. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
External links
- Buckeye Trail
- Loveland Bike Trail
- Ohio to Erie Trail
- Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve
- Little Miami, Inc. (LMI), a non-profit conservation group