The Mahoning River is a river located in northeastern

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and a small portion of western

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Flowing primarily through several Ohio counties, it crosses the state line into Pennsylvania before joining with the

Shenango River The Shenango River is a principal tributary of the Beaver River, approximately 100 mi (160 km) long,Beaver River. The Mahoning River drops from at the headwaters near Winona to at the outfall near Mahoningtown, Pennsylvania. It is part of the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

watershed. The name is said to derive from either the Lenape or Shawnee languages and mean "Deer Lick," as the area was once known for salt springs, but it's possible the name of the Mahoning and several other similarly named landmarks and places in western Pennsylvania (Manayunk, etc) could come from the Lenape, mënehokink (may-nuh-ho-keeng), meaning "place to get water."

Tributaries

North Shore

* Marshall Run * Grays Run * Dry Run * Little Squaw Creek * Mosquito Creek * Chocolate Run * Eagle Creek * West Branch * Kale Creek * Willow Creek * Deer Creek * Beech Creek * Beaver Run

South Shore

* Hickory Run * Hines Run * Yellow Creek * Mill Creek (Austintown) * Fourmile Run * Meander Creek * Mud Creek * Duck Creek * Lawson Run * Charley Run Creek * Mill Creek (Berlin) * Island Creek * Fish Creek

Hydronymy

The name comes from

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

, meaning "at the licks" or "there is a lick", referring to historic

salt lick A mineral lick (also known as a salt lick) is a place where animals can go to lick essential mineral nutrients from a deposit of salts and other minerals. Mineral licks can be naturally occurring or artificial (such as blocks of salt that farm ...

s in the area.

Physical properties

The river is formed near Winona in

Columbiana County, Ohio Columbiana County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 101,877. The county seat is Lisbon and its largest city is Salem. The county name is derived from the explorer of the Americas, Christo ...

, and extends for a length of approximately 113 miles (182 km), with a watershed area of approximately 1,132 square miles (2,932 km²). It joins the

Shenango River The Shenango River is a principal tributary of the Beaver River, approximately 100 mi (160 km) long,Mahoningtown, Pennsylvania south of New Castle to form the Beaver River. The river traverses five Ohio counties, Columbiana, Stark,

Portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

, Trumbull, and Mahoning, as well as

Lawrence County, Pennsylvania Lawrence County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,070. The county seat is New Castle. Lawrence County comprises the entire New Castle, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is ...

. The watershed area also includes parts of

Ashtabula Ashtabula ( ) is a city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States, and the center of the Ashtabula micropolitan area. It is located at the mouth of the Ashtabula River on Lake Erie, northeast of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, the city ha ...

and

Geauga Geauga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,397. The county seat is Chardon. The county is named for an Onondaga or Seneca language word meaning 'raccoon', originally the name of the ...

counties in Ohio. The three main tributaries are Mosquito Creek, West Branch, and Eagle Creek, all in Ohio. There are 15 dams on the river course. The river has a course of 97.1 miles (156.3 km) in Ohio, with the remainder in Pennsylvania. The river supports more than 72 species of fish and 15 species of freshwater

mussel Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and Freshwater bivalve, freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other ...

s. The river is roughly divided into two sections based on its own character and its surroundings. In addition to the change in terrain address in the section on "Floods", the level of human development changes dramatically as well. The “upper elevation” flowing north and east extends roughly from Winona to Leavittsburg and is generally rural in nature, meandering through game lands, forests, and agricultural properties. The mainstem (lower elevation) flowing mainly southeast extends roughly from Leavittsburg to the river's mouth near New Castle, Pennsylvania. Portions of this section are more densely populated and heavily industrialized, including the cities of

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...

, Niles,

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, which ...

Campbell Campbell may refer to: People Surname * Campbell (surname), includes a list of people with surname Campbell Given name * Campbell Brown (footballer), an Australian rules footballer * Campbell Brown (journalist) (born 1968), American television ne ...

, and others. The area suffers with residue from all the industrial activity that began in the late 19th century. The mainstem area has a population of over 500,000 and has a long history of steel making, coke production, and other industries.

Environmental concerns

The industrial nature of the mainstem area has caused considerable pollution in the river. Much of the pollution has left the ecosystem via the natural river flow. But analysts estimate that 750,000 cubic yards (573,416 m³) of river bed and shoreline sediment, over a 30-mile (48.2 km) stretch of the mainstem from Leavittsburg to the Pennsylvania border, is so heavily polluted that it will need to be remediated. Approximately 45% of this material is located in the vicinity of the Girard Dam near

Girard, Ohio Girard is a city in southern Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, along the Mahoning River. The population was 9,603 at the 2020 census. Located directly north of Youngstown, it is a suburb of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. Histor ...

, which has acted as a trap for much of the contaminated sediment. Petroleum hydrocarbons, benzo(a)pyrene (

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon A polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) is a class of organic compounds that is composed of multiple aromatic rings. The simplest representative is naphthalene, having two aromatic rings and the three-ring compounds anthracene and phenanthrene. ...

s), and

mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

have all been found in quantities several times the maximum safe levels. Since 1988, the Ohio Department of Health has maintained an advisory against swimming or wading in the river between Leavittsburg and the Pennsylvania border, and also advises against eating fish caught there. The Corps of Engineers estimates that the remediation will take up to 15 years to complete and cost in excess of US$100 million. Cities and towns along its course include: *

Winona, Ohio Winona is an unincorporated community in southeastern Butler Township, Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. It has a post office with the ZIP code 44493. History A post office called Winona has been in operation since 1868. The community was ...

Alliance, Ohio Alliance is a city in eastern Stark County, Ohio, United States. With a small district lying in adjacent Mahoning County, the city is approximately northeast of Canton, southwest of Youngstown and southeast of Cleveland. The population was 21 ...

Sebring, Ohio Sebring is a village in southwestern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,191 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. History Sebring was founded by the Sebring family from East Liver ...

Newton Falls, Ohio Newton Falls is a village in southwestern Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,557 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. The city takes its name from the two sets of waterfalls within ...

* Leavittsburg, Ohio *

Warren, Ohio Warren is a city in and the county seat of Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. Located in northeastern Ohio, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown and southeast of Cleveland. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 census. The his ...

Niles, Ohio Niles is a city in southern Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, situated at the confluence of the Mahoning River and Mosquito Creek. The city's population was 18,443 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan a ...

McDonald, Ohio McDonald is a village in southern Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, along the Mahoning River. The population was 3,172 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. History The community was named after the ...

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

Campbell, Ohio Campbell (; ) is a city in eastern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, along the Mahoning River. The population was 7,852 at the 2020 census. Located directly southeast of Youngstown, it is a suburb of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan are ...

Struthers, Ohio Struthers is a city in eastern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, along the Mahoning River. The population was 10,063 at the 2020 census. Located directly southeast of Youngstown, it is a suburb of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. ...

Lowellville, Ohio Lowellville is a village in eastern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, along the Mahoning River. The population was 996 at the 2020 census. Located about southeast of Youngstown, it is part of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. Ge ...

Edinburg, Pennsylvania Edinburg is an unincorporated community in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States. The community is located along Pennsylvania Route 551 near U.S. Route 224 on the south bank of the Mahoning River, west of New Castle. Edinburg has a post ...

* Mahoningtown, Pennsylvania

Floods

The Mahoning river is susceptible to frequent flooding during high rain events. A days long flood lasted almost continuously from March 23 to March 26, 1913. Youngstown residents were without water. Damage reached to communities throughout the area, such as Leavittsburg and Lowellville. Losses to the busy industrial area in the region reached the millions of dollars. Flood waters nearly reached the roofs of

Republic Steel Republic Steel is an American steel manufacturer that was once the country's third largest steel producer. It was founded as the Republic Iron and Steel Company in Youngstown, Ohio in 1899. After rising to prominence during the early 20th Centu ...

's plant. Some damaged bridges collapsed. Several water control infrastructure projects followed: The Lake Milton dam was built from 1913 to 1917.Mahoning Valley Historical Society, "The Flood of 1913," March 14, 2013 https://mahoninghistory.org/2013/03/14/the-great-flood-of-1913/ Another dramatic flooding event started when three days of torrential rain fell in July 2003, resulting in such high volume that the river changed its course in Leavittsburg, flooding and destroying nearly 100 homes. For much of the upper half of the river, the land is relatively flat with minimal

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

to confine the river. This makes it prone to change courses during high-water events. Around

, the river valley becomes much more pronounced and the river is more constrained, although there is still room for localized avulsions.

References

External links

Archived version of Youngstown State University's Mahoning River Watershed website

Archived version of Mahoning River Consortium website
{{authority control Rivers of Ohio Rivers of Pennsylvania Tributaries of the Beaver River Youngstown, Ohio Rivers of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania Rivers of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania Rivers of Mahoning County, Ohio Rivers of Columbiana County, Ohio Rivers of Stark County, Ohio Rivers of Portage County, Ohio Rivers of Trumbull County, Ohio