Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 9.1 The Western Lake Erie Basin
in Ohio. The project area for this study will only include the drainage into Lake Erie
south of the Ohio line (Fig.
9.1
). The cities of Toledo, Fort Wayne, and Lima
constitute the major urban areas. Other smaller towns and cities are scattered
throughout. The population of this area totals over 1.2 million people.
Land use is predominantly agriculture covering about 71% of the total basin with
urban development and roads representing only 10% of the area (NRCS
2005
).
Soils are naturally poorly drained and surface ditches and subsurface drains have
been implemented to improve drainage. The basin area receives a relatively even
distribution of precipitation throughout the year between 33 and 37 in. depending
on the location. Soil erosion is a major problem in the basin causing NRCS to track
conservation tillage practices in order to reduce the loss of sediment off cropland.
Dredging in the Toledo Harbor, at the mouth of the Maumee River, is costing $2.2
million per year due to sediment loading. Tourism and sport fishing are also directly
related to water quality and the health of the lake associated with increased sedi-
mentation (NRCS
2005
).
9.3 Project History
In October 2005, NRCS entered into a 5 year memorandum with the Geographic
Information Science & Applied Geography (GISAG) Research Center of the
Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Toledo as part of
