Ohio is an Iroquoian word meaning "good river." The name refers to the Ohio River that forms its southern border. Ohio’s total miles of perennial, intermittent, primary headwater, and large rivers is more than 199,000 miles. It has three watershed basins in which the water flows either into the Lake Erie basin, Ohio River basin, or the Grand St. Mary basin.

Border miles of the Ohio River: 451
Border miles of Lake Erie shoreline: 312

Eager for more great Ohio water facts? Check out this fact sheet.
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By participating in the Ohio EPA’s 401 Wetland External Advisory Group, OEC is fighting industry efforts to destroy wetlands, build new ones several counties over, use dated science, and get rid of Ohio EPA protections for wetlands.

OEC is strongly advocating for:

- sound science
- in-watershed mitigation and mitigation performance standards
- enforcement
- mechanisms to address cumulative impacts

Read more of OEC’s recommendations in a letter sent to the Ohio EPA.

To learn more about the rule review process, see www.ohiowetlands.net.

Sections 404 and 401 of the Clean Water Act govern the filling of wetlands. For tips on how to participate in the permitting process and information on what the regulations require the Ohio EPA to consider, take a look at our Citizen’s Guide to 401’s. (PDF)EC’s Citizen’s Guide to 401’s Available

The Great Lakes are an invaluable resource. Unfortunately, they face multiple challenges such as foreign counties craving our water, a shoreline off limits to children, and raw sewage making our waters unfishable, unswimmable, and undrinkable . Learn more.

By bringing the water quality issues surrounding Ohio’s drainage ditches to the forefront, Ohio’s state environmental and conservation agencies have been forced into action.  OEC is also working collectively with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), the Ohio EPA, County Soil Water Conservation Districts, Farm Bureau, and the Nature Conservancy on ODNR’s Rural Drainage Advisory Committee to develop environmentally friendly Best Management Practices for drainage maintenance and construction.  OEC is working with these groups and agencies to find workable solutions to provide the drainage necessary for Ohio’s farmers and landowners while at the same time protecting the quality of the waters of the state of Ohio. Read OEC's draft comments and remember to check back for final comments.

Bee Run is a naturally occurring waterway that drains into the Olentangy River in Marion County. Bee Run was channelized several times between 1893 and 1951. Since that time, however, segments of Bee Run have recovered from these past activities and is home to a variety of fish and other wildlife. Citing incomplete drainage of some farm fields, landowners in the Bee Run watershed used Ohio’s Single County Ditch laws (PDF) (ORC § 6131), to petition Marion County to improve agricultural drainage.

The Marion County Engineer has proposed to remove all trees and vegetation along both banks of Bee Run to create over four miles of open ditch. The OEC filed a verified complaint with the Ohio EPA over violations of Ohio antidegradation, and to require Clean Water Act permits for the project.  Despite decades of agency inaction toward environmentally detrimental ditching projects, the Ohio EPA investigated the Bee Run Project and ordered Marion County to obtain all the necessary permits before channelizing the stream.  While, Marion County has asserted that the state does not have jurisdiction over Bee Run, the Ohio EPA has expressed to OEC the intention to protect this quality of this water of the state.  OEC will continue in its work with to protect this and other headwater streams from an unnecessary Ditch Sentence.

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation: www.mott.org
The Doll Foundation
The George Gund Foundation: www.gundfdn.org
Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network Fund: http://glhabitat.org/
Great Lakes National Program Office: www.epa.gov/glnpo
Healing Our Waters: www.healingourwaters.org
The Joyce Foundation: www.joycefdn.org
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: www.nfwf.org
National Wildlife Federation: www.nwf.org
River Network: www.rivernetwork.org
US EPA: www.epa.gov


And by members like you-thank you.