WHAT IS A WATERSHED?

A watershed, also known as a drainage basin, is the area of land that drains to a body of water. Any drop of water that falls in the Mill Creek Watershed will make its way to the Mill Creek. As a result, what happens on the land and in the air throughout the watershed impacts every community, person, and organization in the watershed.

Watch this series of 6 videos to learn more.

Mill Creek Watershed

The Mill Creek Watershed covers 166.2 square miles and includes 37 cities, townships and villages.

Amberley Village, Arlington Heights, Blue Ash, Butler County, Cheviot, Cincinnati, Colerain Township, Columbia Township, Deer Park, Elmwood Place, Evendale, Fairfield, Fairfield Township, Forest Park, Glendale, Golf Manor, Greenhills, Green Township, Hamilton, Hamilton County, Liberty Township, Lincoln Heights, Lockland, Montgomery, Mt. Healthy, North College Hill, Norwood, Reading, Sharonville, Silverton, Springdale, Springfield Township, St. Bernard, Sycamore Township, West Chester Township, Woodlawn, Wyoming

• The watershed is in the Interior Plateau and Eastern Corn Belt Plains US EPA Level 3 Ecoregions.

• The Mill Creek main stem flows 28.1 miles through southeastern Butler County and central Hamilton County to the Ohio River.

• At its origin in Liberty Township, the stream is about 797 feet above sea level. It falls an average of 11.8 feet per mile before flowing into the Ohio River in Cincinnati. In Cincinnati, it’s 466 feet above sea level.

• Aquatic life uses for the streams in the Mill Creek watershed reflect the high degree of urban and industrial development that has occurred within the watershed.

• The Mill Creek is a designated Warm Water Habitat from its headwaters in Butler County to river mile (RM) 7.3 in Hamilton County, and Modified Warm Water Habitat (MWH) for the lower eight miles of the stream, where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has permanently modified the channel.