The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) is a political subdivision of the

State of 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 ...

organized in 1933 to develop and implement a plan for flood reduction and water conservation in the

Muskingum River The Muskingum River (Shawnee: ') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country o ...

watershed, the state's largest wholly contained watershed, covering more than . Since the original construction of fourteen reservoirs and dams in the 1930s (two more were built later), more than $7 billion worth of property damage has been saved from flooding.

Projects

After its formation, the MWCD began planning an extensive system of flood-reduction reservoirs and dams in the Muskingum River watershed, which covers all or portion of 27 counties (about 20 percent of the state). By 1938, a network of fourteen reservoirs and dams was constructed. The ten permanent reservoirs are widely recognized for their outdoor recreational opportunities, attracting more than five million visitors annually. *

Atwood Lake Atwood Lake is a reservoir located in Tuscarawas and Carroll counties in east central Ohio. The lake is formed by Atwood Dam across Indian Fork, a tributary of Conotton Creek. The lake is named for the community of Atwood which was purchase ...

* Beach City Lake * Bolivar Dam *

Charles Mill Lake Charles Mill is a reservoir located in central Ohio near the junction of State Routes 430 and 603. Charles Mill Lake is a quiet and enjoyable place for boating, camping, fishing, hunting, or hiking. The lake is located in both Richland County (n ...

* Clendening Lake * Dover Dam *

Leesville Lake Leesville Lake is a reservoir in Virginia used for hydroelectric power generation in conjunction with Smith Mountain Lake as a pump storage project. It is located southeast of Roanoke, and southwest of Lynchburg. Smaller and lower than Smith ...

* Mohawk Dam * Mohicanville Dam *

Piedmont Lake Piedmont ( ; it, Piemonte, ) is a region of Northwest Italy, one of the regions of Italy, 20 regions of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east and the Aosta Valley region to th ...

* Pleasant Hill Lake * Seneca Lake *

Tappan Lake Tappan Lake, also known as Tappan Reservoir, is a reservoir in Harrison County, Ohio, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily locat ...

Wills Creek Lake Wills Creek is a tributary of the Muskingum River, 92.2 mi (148.4 km) long, in eastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River. It drains an area of 853 mi� ...

Two additional dams and lakes were added at a later date: Dillon Lake (1960) and North Branch Kokosing. The operation of the lakes and dams, along with the property immediately surrounding the dam sites, was transferred to the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

, Huntington District, after the approval of the

Flood Control Act of 1939 Flood Control Act of 1939 (FCA 1939) (ch. 699, 53 Stat. 1414), enacted on August 11, 1939, by the 76th Congress, authorized construction of flood control projects across the United States. The Act authorized the transfer of ownership of local a ...

by Congress. The MWCD continues to be responsible for the management of much of the reservoir areas behind the dams, serving as a partner to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood reduction. The reservoirs also serve as sources of public water supply and the MWCD manages about of water and property, most of which is open for public access. In addition to operating a number of recreation facilities, the MWCD cooperates with the Ohio Division of Wildlife for fishing and hunting management.

References

External links

*
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District
{{Authority control Government of Ohio Muskingum River