"We are proposing that this will be a watershed-wide effort and will involve the expertise of many others along with the MWCD,” Hoopingarner said. “We state in the plan and believe strongly that by partnering with local, state and federal agencies and other individuals and organizations, the responsibility and costs of these projects can be shared and be the most effective for the residents of this watershed.”

Funds to pay for the MWCD’s share of the work would be collected through the proposed assessment, which also must receive the approval of the MWCD Board. MWCD officials have said that if the assessment plan is approved in 2006, collection would begin in January 2007 through county property tax statements.

The MWCD has estimated the proposed assessment plan would cost the owners of residential and agricultural properties a total of around $12 per year, with an estimate for commercial and industrial parcels being developed.

The assessment would generate about $13 million annually if it is implemented.

To further explain the Amendment to the Official Plan and the assessment process, MWCD officials held meetings with public officials in all 18 of its counties of jurisdiction in 2005, along with presentations to dozens of civic, professional and social groups. The meetings also permitted the Conservancy District to start the process of gathering input on critical projects in those counties and regions, Hoopingarner said.

Since its inception, the MWCD has operated primarily from the use of its facilities through various fee structures on a recreational basis, as well as revenue produced from the stewardship of its natural resources. However, this funding alone cannot address the large-scale needs and costs associated with the aging system, which shows the effects of sedimentation, erosion and other issues on daily basis.

Over the past couple of years, the MWCD and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agency that operates the dams in the MWCD system, led a multi-agency review of the watershed to determine its condition and its needs to secure reduction of flooding and clean water. More than $2 billion worth of projects were identified, with the MWCD clearly having responsibility for the $270 million worth of work outlined in the Amendment to the Official Plan.

The MWCD system was the first in the United States to use permanent impoundments of water – or lakes – as part of a comprehensive flood reduction and water conservation plan. Founded in response to the damage produced by the regular flooding of communities and properties in the Muskingum River Watershed, the MWCD system has long been a source of outdoor recreation, attracting more than 5.5 million visitors annually to the 54,000 acres of property devoted to public use.

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. Two other reservoirs, Dillon in Muskingum County and North Branch Kokosing in Knox County, were constructed later and are operated exclusively by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

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.

The system’s integrity was challenged in January 2005 with a flood for the record books.

Communities that endured temporary flooding – including the brief isolation of the Wilkshire Hills region in northern Tuscarawas County – 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 was limited, with none of the devastation comparable to the Great Flood of 1913 in Ohio, which spurred the development of the MWCD flood-reduction system now in place.

These events also have produced challenges for the future.

The MWCD 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 high water of January 2005 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, 2005. 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.

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.

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.

All of the water controlled through the reservoirs in the watershed eventually drains into the Muskingum River, which meets the Ohio River at Marietta.

For more information about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, check out websites at http://www.lrh.usace.army.mil, www.lrh.usace.army.mil or at http://www.mwcdlakes.com, or www.mwcdlakes.com. Daily reservoir levels can be accessed off a link on the homepage of the MWCD website.