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 January 2005 flood in Muskingum Basin The January 2005 flood in the Muskingum River Watershed of eastern Ohio will be one for the record books. With seven of the 16 reservoirs in the system setting all-time marks for high water and nearly $400 million in potential property damage saved by the system of dams and reservoirs (Click here for a full-size illustration) that temporarily holds floodwaters, the first few weeks of the year definitely will be memorable. Communities that endured temporary flooding were spared the widespread devastation that could have occurred without any of the protection offered by the dams and reservoirs. Many other communities endured the frustration of seeing roads inundated by standing floodwaters, cutting off reliable access to their homes, jobs and schools. However, reported flood damage to homes and property has been limited, with none of the devastation comparable to the Great Flood of 1913 in Ohio, which spurred the development of the flood-reduction system now in place. These recent events also have produced challenges for the future. The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have said the system performed its flood-reduction work as it was designed more than 70 years ago. However, potential improvements have been identified for the dams and reservoirs, and the agencies hope to provide reliable information for efforts to alleviate the temporary shutoffs of stretches of low-lying highways and access roads and potential damage to other infrastructure that can occur during flooding behind the dams. The MWCD system of dams and reservoirs was constructed in the 1930s in response to the 1913 flood in Ohio, the most significant flood on record in the state. In the Muskingum River Watershed region alone, a total of 11 people died in the 1913 flooding and millions of dollars of property losses were reported. The project eventually attracted federal interest and participation because of the benefits it produces far beyond the borders of the MWCD region. The 14-dam, 10-lake MWCD system was the first of its kind in the United States to use permanent impoundments of water – or lakes – to help with flood protection and reduction. Two additional dams, Dillon near Zanesville and on the North Branch of the Kokosing River in Knox County, were built later. Since their construction, the dams and reservoirs in the Muskingum River Watershed are credited with helping avert an estimated $6 billion in potential property damage and saving countless lives. The recent high water is a prime example of how the system works to reduce flooding on creeks, streams and tributaries that potentially could cause widespread damage in the region and send the Muskingum River into a powerful rage of destruction. Approximately 4 to 8 inches of rain fell through much of the watershed over a four-day period and combined with melting snow, led to large amounts of runoff that eventually flowed directly into the streams where dams are located. As designed, the dams held the water behind them and released it a rate that would not cause additional problems at other locations. However, because the rate of runoff into the creeks and streams increased with the continued rainfall, the reservoir levels began to climb rapidly as potential floodwaters swelled behind the dams. Shortly after the rain stopped and the runoff rates began to decrease, the reservoirs reached their peak levels of water retention, or crests. New high-water marks were established at Atwood, Bolivar, Charles Mill, Dillon, Dover, Mohawk and Wills Creek reservoirs. Nearly all of the other reservoirs also reached significant high water levels before attaining their crests between Jan. 14-20. While Wills Creek reached its designed storage capacity before cresting and Beach City nearly reached its capacity, all of the other projects had reservoir space remaining when they crested. Now that all of the crests at the reservoirs have been reached and significant additional amounts are not flowing into them, water being released from behind the dams is causing them to fall at increasing rates in an effort to return the reservoirs to their normal levels as quickly as possible. Because the dams and reservoirs work as a system, water released behind the dams has an impact on the immediate region and on communities downstream. With the system in place, flows of the watershed’s major streams and rivers were reduced from 2 feet to 18 feet depending on location (see accompanying chart). Because dams are not located on every creek and stream, not all runoff flows of water can be controlled by the system. The dams and reservoirs control about 60 percent of the runoff water in the watershed. Impacts from stored water for areas located in the reservoirs behind the dams can include road closings. The potential for significant property damage in these areas has been reduced due to relocation of some structures and restricted development. The age of the dams and reservoirs also has prompted the MWCD and the Corps of Engineers to look toward the future. For the past several years, the agencies have identified dozens of improvements and maintenance issues that need to be addressed in coming decades. The Corps of Engineers has targeted around $2 billion worth of work that could be done throughout the entire watershed in its Muskingum River Basin Initiative studies, while the MWCD has identified more than $250 million of projects needed at its reservoirs to maintain and/or improve flood protection and water quality. Included among these items is basic maintenance and modernization of the dams and reservoirs, the development of a basin-wide emergency flood warning system, improvements to stabilize eroded shorelines and much more. The 14 MWCD reservoirs are Atwood in Carroll and Tuscarawas counties; Beach City in Tuscarawas County; Bolivar in Stark and Tuscarawas counties; Charles Mill in Ashland and Richland counties; Clendening in Harrison County; Dover in Tuscarawas County; Leesville in Carroll County; Mohawk in Coshocton and Knox counties; Mohicanville in Ashland and Wayne counties; Piedmont in Belmont, Guernsey and Harrison counties; Pleasant Hill in Ashland and Richland counties; Seneca in Guernsey and Noble counties; Tappan in Harrison County; and Wills Creek in Coshocton and Muskingum counties. The 18 counties in the MWCD region are Ashland, Belmont, Carroll, Coshocton, Guernsey, Harrison, Holmes, Knox, Licking, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Richland, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas, Wayne and Washington. Residents of the region formed the MWCD in 1933 for the purpose of flood protection and by the end of the decade, all of the structures were constructed. Dillon and the North Branch of the Kokosing River dams are managed exclusively by the Corps of Engineers while Salt Fork Reservoir near Cambridge is managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife for recreation purposes and is not part of the flood-reduction system. All of the water controlled through the reservoirs in the watershed eventually drains into the Muskingum River, which meets the Ohio River at Marietta. The MWCD is the largest of 21 active conservancy districts in the state of Ohio, covering about 20 percent of the state. For more information about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, check out websites at www.lrh.usace.army.mil or at www.mwcdlakes.com. Daily reservoir levels can be accessed off a link on the homepage of the MWCD website.
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