 |
||||||
|
||||||
 |
|
Watershed Characteristics 
The Wills Creek Watershed is located in east central Ohio, in Guernsey County, and includes portions of Belmont, Coshocton, Monroe, Muskingum, Noble and Tuscarawas Counties. The Watershed covers 436,000 acres (682 square miles) and drains into the Muskingum River basin. Wills Creek Reservoir and Seneca Lake are popular recreational impoundments in the watershed.
Land Use Characteristics
Land use in the watershed is 50% forested. The remaining land uses include cropland, 16%, pasture land, 23%, and urban land, 4%. There are over 16,000 acres of highly erodible cropland (HEL) in the watershed, as defined in the Food Security Act of 1985.
Water Quality Concerns 
Sedimentation is the primary form of nonpoint source pollution in the Wills Creek Watershed. Other identified concerns associated with water quality degradation include acid mine drainage (AMD) and nutrient loading from livestock operations. Additional water quality information is needed to identify nonpoint source pollutants in subwatersheds.