Water study under way for Tuscarawas River Basin

Dover-New Philadelphia Times-Reporter
Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005

The U.S. Geological Survey has begun the first of a three-phase hydrogeologic study of water resources in the Tuscarawas River basin, the agency has announced.

The research was prompted by increases in population and dependence on ground water in the basin, which drains part of 13 counties in eastern Ohio and is an important source of drinking water for the 600,000 people living in the area, including New Philadelphia, Coshocton, Canton and Akron. Since 1970, ground water use has increased from 55 percent to more than 85 percent of the total amount of water utilized in the area.

The project was approved by the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District in October.

“Results from this basin-wide study will provide policymakers with the detailed hydrologic information needed to make decisions regarding future land and water uses in the basin,” said Jim Morris, director of the USGS Ohio Water Science Center.

The three phases of the study include compiling information from existing sources of data; establishing hydrologic data-collection networks, such as water-quality and water-level networks of monitoring and domestic wells and stream water-quality and discharge networks; interpreting the data collected and publishing the results in a final report.

The waste management district will provide major funding for first phase of the study, which has an estimated cost of $415,000. USGS is providing $40,000 of the funding.

View USGS Ohio Water Science Center press release
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