Big Darby Creek is a
scenic river located in northwestern central Ohio, and an important
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
to the Lower
Scioto River
The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets t ...
. The river's major tributary is the
Little Darby Creek.
The river runs from its source near the
Champaign
Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...
-
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
county line, south-east through Union and
Madison Counties. In
Franklin County, the river runs through the
Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park, where it meets with the Little Darby Creek.
[Franklin County Metro Parks]
Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
/ref> Directly downstream from the park, the river empties into the Scioto River in Pickaway County
Pickaway County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 58,539. Its county seat is Circleville, Ohio, Circleville. Its name derives from the Pekowi band o ...
at .
Big Darby Creek is one of the most biologically diverse aquatic systems in the Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
.[The Nature Conservancy]
Darby Creek Watershed
It is the site of the only known population of the Scioto madtom, a fish which is now thought to be extinct.[USFWS]
''Noturus trautmani'' Five-year Review.
December 2009. In addition, for its size the creek "has the greatest diversity of freshwater mussels in North America. Forty species have been reported from the system." During creek bird surveys from 1989-1991, Zoologist Dan Rice identified 86 species of riparian corridor bird species adjacent to Big Darby Creek Scenic River. Between 1984 and 1992 Rice conducted fish surveys and found 72 species of fish in Big Darby Creek.
History
When ''The Columbus Dispatch
''The Columbus Dispatch'' is a daily newspaper based in Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and it has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since ''The Columbus Citizen-Journal'' ceased publication in 19 ...
'' published an article in 1967 revealing the City of Columbus' plans to purchase over along the river to build a reservoir, a political and legal battle ensued between the municipality and several environmental groups working with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. From 1974 to 1984, both sides exchanged victories and the legal battle continued into the Ohio Supreme Court, who ended the battle by ruling that the 'scenic river' designation was constitutional. On June 22, 1984, the Upper and Lower Darby Creeks were designated a state scenic river, and then added to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System on March 10, 1994.[Ohio Department of Natural Resources]
Big Darby Creek State and National Scenic River
In 2003, Big Darby and Little Darby Creeks were also given their own Historical Markers.
In 2008, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a non-profit zoo located near Powell in Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio, United States, north of the city of Columbus. The land lies along the eastern banks of the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir on the Sciot ...
built a new exhibit focusing on the Big Darby Creek and its more than 38 rare species of fish and mussels,[Narciso, D]
Zoo exhibit to spotlight Big Darby Creek.
''The Columbus Dispatch
''The Columbus Dispatch'' is a daily newspaper based in Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and it has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since ''The Columbus Citizen-Journal'' ceased publication in 19 ...
'' January 13, 2008. and in 2009, the City of Columbus, Franklin County Metro Parks, the Ohio Nature Conservancy and other companies spent more than $6 million on seven projects designed to restore sections of the river and its tributaries.[Hunt, S. and T. Baker]
Crooked creeks.
''The Columbus Dispatch'' December 13, 2009.
The highest recorded flood crest was on January 22, 1959.[National Weather Service]
Big Darby Creek at Darbyville.
/ref>
Gallery
File:Big Darby and Little Darby Creek Sign.jpg, Historical Marker in Galloway
Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway.
A native or ...
File:Darby Creek Flood Gauge 1.jpg, Flood Gauge in Pickaway County
File:Big Darby Creek downstream from Little Darby 1.jpg, Big Darby Creek downstream from meeting Little Darby creek
File:Big Darby Creek Bridge.JPG, Bridge crossing Big Darby Creek located on Scioto-Darby Road in Pickaway County
File:Meeting Point of Big and Little Darby Creeks.jpg, Confluence of the Big (front) and Little (rear) Darby creeks
See also
*List of National Wild and Scenic Rivers
This is a list of the designated National Wild and Scenic Rivers in the United States. Each river has been designated by Congress, or, if certain requirements were met, the Secretary of the Interior. A designation may include multiple watercourses ...
*List of rivers of Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The state takes its name from the Ohio River, whose name in turn originated from the Seneca word '' ohiːyo, meaning "good river", "great river" or "large creek". The Ohi ...
References
{{Authority control
Rivers of Union County, Ohio
Rivers of Madison County, Ohio
Rivers of Franklin County, Ohio
Rivers of Pickaway County, Ohio
Rivers of Ohio
Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States