Raccoon Creek given state scenic status by Ohio DNR

McArthur, Ohio) — During a recent ceremony at Lake Hope State Park, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio DNR (ODNR) Director Mary Mertz officially designated Raccoon Creek as Ohio’s newest state scenic river.

The designation makes Raccoon Creek the 16th state scenic river in Ohio and the first in the state’s southeastern region, flowing for more than 100 miles through parts of Vinton, Meigs, and Gallia counties.

“As we designate Raccoon Creek as a state scenic river today, we are celebrating the health of this waterway while capping off a true comeback story,” said DeWine. “Once considered ‘nearly lifeless,’ Raccoon Creek is now home to more than 90 species of fish and serves as an example of what we can achieve when water quality is prioritized at the state, local, and federal levels.”

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For many years, Raccoon Creek was considered by many to be “unrecoverable” due to acid mine drainage and sedimentation throughout the watershed caused by more than 70 years of coal mining. In the 1970s, area residents pushed for a coordinated effort to restore the waterway.

Since then, ODNR has completed 20 acid mine drainage treatment projects that have reduced total drainage by more than 8,500 pounds per day. These projects include the removal of mine waste piles and the creation of limestone channels, leach beds, and wetlands.

“There have been monumental efforts and several projects to ensure this land and waterway have been restored and protected for future generations,” said Mertz. “This moment recognizes the tremendous efforts over the last 40 years to restore Raccoon Creek to the high-quality waterway we see today.”

At the designation ceremony, DeWine and Mertz signed a journal entry to designate 111.9 river miles of Raccoon Creek as a state scenic river. These river miles meet or exceed the qualifications needed to join Ohio’s scenic river system, including requirements that the waterway be 75% free-flowing and not impacted by nearby commercial development. About one-third of Raccoon Creek also meets or exceeds the Ohio EPA’s exceptional warm water aquatic life use designation.

“Designating Raccoon Creek is an acknowledgment of its natural characteristics and diverse habitats, but it also marks the first time a restored waterway has been eligible for scenic river status,” said ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves Chief Jeff Johnson. “We hope this designation will serve as a model for other watersheds.”

More than $17 million has been invested to restore and reclaim the Raccoon Creek watershed by ODNR’s Division of Natural Areas and Preserves and Division of Mineral Resources Management, the Ohio EPA, and the U.S. Department of Interior’s Office of Surface Mining. Other key partners include the Raccoon Creek Partnership and Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service.

With the new state scenic river designation of Raccoon Creek, approximately 942 river miles are now protected in the state scenic rivers system. Three waterways – the Big and Little Darby creeks, Little Beaver Creek, and Little Miami – are also designated as national scenic rivers.