Figure 1. Average monthly precipitation (in inches) in Brown County, Ohio (1961-1990); data collected at teh Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Southern Branch, Ripley.
John F. Grimes
Karen T. Ricker
Larry C. Brown
Water is a resource often taken for granted. In recent years, water availability and quality have become important public concerns in Brown County. The county's population of 34,966 (1990 census data) is predominantly rural, and over 80 percent of households rely on ground water for their water supply. This fact sheet provides a brief overview of Brown County's water resources, and is intended to help increase public awareness and understanding about this vital resource. By understanding where water is obtained and how it is used in the county, residents can gain a better appreciation for their water supply. The water resources terminology used in this publication is included in Surface and Ground Water Terminology, Fact Sheet AEX 460, which provides a listing of generally accepted water resource definitions. Ohio State University Extension publications are available through all Ohio county Extension offices.
An average of approximately 44 inches of precipitation falls on Brown County annually. Figure 1 illustrates the average monthly precipitation for the county for the period 1961 to 1990. Based on this 30-year record, the average precipitation is 3.7 inches per month, with January (2.5 inches) typically being the driest month, and May (4.8 inches) the wettest. However, there can be extreme variations in some years and in certain months within a year. Such seasonal and yearly extremes may have serious consequences, and are not always apparent from the long-term precipitation information.
Figure 1. Average monthly precipitation (in inches) in Brown
County, Ohio (1961-1990); data collected at teh Ohio Agricultural
Research and Development Center, Southern Branch, Ripley.
Brown County, bordered on the south by the Ohio River, contains 313,856 land acres of which 85 percent is farmland. Portions of Brown County were glaciated. However, the southeastern part of the county was not covered by the glaciers, which entered the county from the north. Five soil types have been identified in the county and vary in drainage ability from poorly drained to well drained. Large portions of the northern and western part of the county's soils are poorly to somewhat poorly drained, while the southern and eastern part of the county is moderate to well drained.
Brown County has four major drainage basins: Eagle Creek and Straight Creek, the East Fork of the Little Miami River, Whiteoak Creek, and Ohio Brush Creek. These streams are important tributaries of the Ohio River, an important water supply source for southern Ohio. A generalized surface-water map of Brown County is given in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Surface-water resources in Brown County, Ohio (adapted
from ODNR Division of Water river basin maps; illustration prepared
by H. Landfried).
Surface waters are affected by the soil type and topography of the land adjacent to them, and the way humans use the land. Land use, such as residential development, construction, and agricultural production, can increase the amount of sediment entering a body of water. The type of soils in an area also influences water runoff because of the soil's infiltration and water holding characteristics. With some soils, rainfall is more likely to run off, while other soils allow water to infiltrate more readily.
The county water acreage, as of 1980, consisted of about 833 acres of lakes. This figure includes the 270-acre Lake Waynoka, the 192-acre Lake Lorelei, the 181-acre Lake Grant, and numerous smaller lakes and ponds. Approximately 398 linear miles of rivers and streams [estimated from river basin maps, Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Water] are contained in Brown County. This availability lends itself to many uses by communities, industries, and individuals.
Brown County's primary ground-water source are unconsolidated deposits of sand and gravel adjacent to the Ohio River. These permeable deposits allow the movement of large quantities of water from the river to the aquifer (through induced infiltration) for supplying the wells. Yields of as much as 700 gallons per minute (gpm) have been reported where recharge is available from the river.
Small pockets of unconsolidated materials adjacent to Higginsport, Ripley, and Aberdeen also contain thick local deposits of sand and gravel. Wells located in permeable deposits may yield as much as 100 gpm. Smaller domestic wells may only produce 15 to 25 gpm. The underlying limestone and shale bedrock yield very limited supplies.
The most widespread ground-water source within the county is the bedrock aquifer which consists of interbedded limestones and shales. If water is present in the rock, it usually occurs in the upper few feet. Wells in this area seldom produce more than 3 gpm and dry wells are commonly found. Yields of as much as 10 gpm may be available from thin deposits of sand and gravel along portions of stream valleys in the northern half of the county. Overlying glacial cover consists primarily of clay and generally ranges from 20 to 50 feet thick. An overview of the ground-water resources in the county is given in Brown County Ground-Water Resources, AEX-490.08.
The yield of a well will vary considerably depending on the age and depth of the well, well construction, the diameter of the casing, pump capacity and age, and more importantly, properties of the geologic formation. Specific information on ground water availability and wells can be obtained by contacting ODNR Division of Water.
Based on long-term weather records, Ohio receives an average of 38 inches of precipitation per year. These 38 inches move through a complex path called the hydrologic cycle. Of these 38 inches, about 10 inches (26 percent) become runoff, which moves immediately to surface-water bodies such as streams and lakes. Two inches are retained at the ground surface and evaporate back into the atmosphere in a relatively short period of time. Twenty-six of the 38 total inches enter the soil surface through infiltration. Twenty of these 26 inches go into soil storage and later are returned to the atmosphere by the combination of evaporation and transpiration (evapotranspiration). The remaining 6 inches of precipitation (16 percent of the total) have the potential to recharge the ground-water supply. Two of these 6 inches eventually move to springs, lakes, or streams as ground-water discharge. The remaining 4 inches either return to the atmosphere by evapotranspiration or are withdrawn to supply water needs. For further reading, refer to Ohio's Hydrologic Cycle, AEX 461.
Statewide averages applied to the county's average annual precipitation, provide a rough estimate of how many inches will result in runoff and how many inches have the potential to reach aquifers. Based on statewide averages of runoff and ground-water recharge, Brown County's 44 inches of average annual precipitation result in about 11.4 inches of runoff to streams and lakes, and about 7 inches have the potential to recharge aquifers annually. Values for particular locations will differ according to local conditions.
Water use for each of Brown County's public water-supply systems is given in Table 1. For each water system, this table presents an estimate of the population served, water source, estimated daily usage and treatment plant capacity.
| Table 1. Water Use in Brown County, Ohio.1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Water System | Population Served | Primary Water Source | Water Usage (GPD)2 | Treatment Plant Capacity (GPD) |
| Aberdeen | 1875 | Ground Water | 240,000 | 1,440,000 |
| Brown County RWA3 | 16,250 | Ground Water | 1,320,000 | 2,376,000 |
| Fayetteville | 500 | Surface Water | 29,000 | 72,000 |
| Higginsport | 350 | Ground Water | 35,000 | 360,000 |
| Lake Lorelei | 1063 | Surface Water | 75,000 | 288,000 |
| Lake Waynoka | 745 | Surface Water | 60,000 | 432,000 |
| Mount Orab | 3525 | Surface Water | 342,000 | 360,000 |
| Ripley4 | 3010 | Ground Water | 335,000 | 400,000 |
| St. Martin5 | 123 | Ground Water | 12,000 | N/A |
| Sardinia | 940 | Surface Water | 86,000 | 230,000 |
| 1 Estimates from Ohio EPA using adjusted 1993 data; information is based on data available at time of publication. | ||||
| 2 GPD = gallons per day. | ||||
| 3 Includes water service to Georgetown and Hamersville. | ||||
| 4 Includes water service to Ripley-Union Rural Water Association (RWA). | ||||
| 5 Purchases ground water from the Highland County Water Company; total treatment plant capacity figure not available. | ||||
Public water systems provide water to approximately 81 percent of Brown County's population. The county's largest public-water system is the Brown County Rural Water Association that uses seven wells for its supply. The villages of Aberdeen, Higginsport, and Ripley also use ground water. The villages of Fayetteville, Mt. Orab, Sardinia, and the Lake Lorelei and Lake Waynoka Water Districts use surface water. Georgetown, Hamersville, St. Martin, and the Ripley-Union Rural Water Association purchase ground water from other systems.
Ground water is a major water source for rural households in Brown County. Approximately 80 percent of the water used by Brown County's public water systems is obtained from ground-water sources. The estimated usage from private water systems for domestic use is 400,000 gallons per day (gpd), and nearly 98 percent of this comes from ground water. Additional private uses include industry (320,000 gpd), livestock use (270,000 gpd), and crop irrigation (20,000 gpd) from a combination of ground- and surface-water supplies.
Some water users in Ohio must register their withdrawals with the ODNR Division of Water. Through the Water Withdrawal Facility Registration Program, owners of facilities capable of withdrawing 100,000 gpd (70 gpm) or more must register those facilities. Information collected through this program includes withdrawal capacity, ground- or surface-water sources, location and type of water use, and location of discharge points. The program is for registration only, and not for allocation or permission. Registered withdrawers file annual reports of their water use. This information helps planners at ODNR determine the availability of water for projected needs, and to better manage and protect Ohio's water resources. Documenting water use also provides official records for individual uses. For more information, contact ODNR Division of Water.
Natural processes and human activities affect the quality of our water supplies. Throughout Ohio, human activities contribute to both point and nonpoint source pollution. Point source pollution is the introduction of impurities into a water supply source (ground water or surface water) from an identifiable, known location. Examples of point sources can include industrial plants, power plants, commercial businesses, and wastewater treatment facilities.
Nonpoint source pollution also involves the introduction of impurities into a surface-water body or an aquifer, except the route is usually non-direct and the sources are "diffuse" in nature. A major portion of the sediment, nutrients, acids and salts, heavy metals, toxic chemicals, and pathogens enter the state's water resources through nonpoint source pollution, affecting both ground and surface water. Examples include automobile emissions, runoff from parking lots, and runoff and drainage from agricultural fields, feedlots, home lawns and gardens, residential development, construction, mining, and logging activities.
As water moves through the aquifers underlying Brown County, it dissolves the minerals contained in these formations and carries them in solution. Publication AEX-490.08 summarizes some of the county's natural ground-water quality aspects.
Human activities, such as agricultural production, domestic waste disposal, and lawn and turf care, may have some influence on the county's ground-water quality. Bacterial counts are another indicator of ground-water quality. The Brown County Health Department tests water samples for concerned citizens. Results of these tests indicate that a very small percentage of wells tested have bacterial problems. Wells that do test positive are usually corrected after shock chlorination treatment to the well, or the addition of a chlorination system.
One aspect of water quality in the county is sediment loading in streams and rivers. Soil erosion, which produces sediment, is a continuously occurring, natural process in which soil and rock particles are loosened and transported. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) operated a test station on Whiteoak Creek near Georgetown for 25 years and determined that approximately 820 pounds of soil per acre per year in the Whiteoak Creek watershed was entering surface waters through erosion. Runoff and sediment from residential development, construction sites, and agricultural lands may enter streams and rivers and fill stream channels. Also, runoff may carry pollutants, such as lawn and agricultural chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers), effluent from septic systems, oil and gas from spills, and industrial wastes. Brown County citizens have a major challenge to reduce soil erosion and to protect water resources from pollutants that could affect the quality of the water supply.
Through the Ohio Nonpoint Source Assessment and Water Resources Inventory, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) and ODNR have identified 13,000 stream miles in Ohio that have been affected by nonpoint source pollution. Brown County contains portions of several streams and their tributaries that have been classified by the Assessment as being affected by nonpoint source pollution. Based on the findings of the Assessment and Inventory, the Ohio Nonpoint Source Management Plan has been implemented to help improve the quality of the state's waters. For specific information about the streams and tributaries listed in the Assessment and details of the Management Plan for the county, contact the Ohio EPA Southwest District Office (40 S. Main St., Dayton, OH 45402).
Overall, Brown County has a safe supply of water. County citizens have a major challenge to protect water resources from pollutants that could affect the quality of the water supply. For more information about nonpoint source pollution, refer to Nonpoint Source Pollution: Water Primer, AEX 465, available from your county Extension office.
Water availability and quality are important public concerns. Water problems can be both costly and inconvenient. While the present and future availability of water is good for Brown County, water is a precious resource that must be conserved and protected. We must all work together to maintain an adequate supply of good quality water.
This fact sheet provides information about the water resources in Brown County. For more information concerning water resources or drinking-water quality in the county, contact the Brown County office of Ohio State University Extension (325 W. State St., Georgetown, OH 45121). In addition, the following agencies may be able to provide information on other water resources topics in the county: Brown Soil and Water Conservation District; Brown County Health Department; ODNR Division of Water (Fountain Square, Col., OH 43224); USGS, Ohio District (975 W. Third Ave., Col., OH 43212); Ohio EPA (1800 WaterMark Dr., Col., OH 43215-1099); and Ohio Department of Health (ODH; PO Box 118, Col., OH 43226).
Brown County Ground-Water Resources. 1994. J.F. Grimes, J.M. Raab, L.C. Brown, and K.T. Ricker. AEX-490.08. Ohio State University Extension.
Brown County, Ohio Soil Survey. 1979. USDA-SCS.
Brown Soil and Water Conservation District Resources Inventory. 1986. USDA-SCS.
Doane's Agricultural Report. 1992. Farm Water Systems.
Estimated Water Use in Ohio, 1990, Public Supply Data. 1993. USGS Open-File Report 93-72.
Fluvial Sediment in Ohio, 1978. P.W. Anttila and R.L. Tobin. USGS Water Supply Paper 2045.
Gazetteer of Ohio Streams. 1960. Ohio Water Inventory Report No. 12. ODNR Div. of Water.
Ground-Water Resources of Brown County. 1989. D.J. Sugar. ODNR Div. of Water. (map).
Hydrologic Atlas for Ohio: Average Annual Precipitation, Temperature, Streamflow, and Water Loss for the 50-Year Period 1931-1980. 1991. L.J. Hartstine. Water Inventory Report No. 28. ODNR Div. of Water.
Inventory of Municipal Water-Supply Systems by County, Ohio. 1977. Ohio Water Inventory Report No. 24. ODNR Div. of Water.
Inventory of Ohio's Lakes. 1980. Ohio Water Inventory Report No. 26. ODNR Div. of Water.
Monthly Station Normals of Temperature, Precipitation, and Heating and Cooling Degree Days, 1961-90, Ohio. 1992. Climatology of the United States, No. 81 (by state). NOAA.
Nitrate and Pesticides in Private Wells of Ohio: A State Atlas. 1989. Water Quality Laboratory, Heidelberg College.
Nitrate In Drinking Water. 1987. K.M. Mancl. Bulletin No. 744. Ohio State University Extension.
Nonpoint Source Pollution: Water Primer. 1993. R. Leeds and L.C. Brown. AEX 465. Ohio State University Extension.
Ohio Ground-Water Quality. USGS National Water Summary - Ohio. 1986. USGS Water-Supply Paper 2325.
Ohio Ground-Water Resources. USGS National Water Summary - Ohio. 1984. USGS Water-Supply Paper 2275.
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Ohio Water Firsts. 1985. S.L. Frost and W.S. Nichols. Water Resources Foundation of Ohio, Inc.
Ohio Water Resource Inventory: Executive Summary and Volumes 1-4. 1992. Ohio EPA.
Ohio's Hydrologic Cycle. 1990. L.C. Brown and K.M. Coltman. AEX 461. Ohio State University Extension.
Private Water Systems Handbook. 1987. MWPS-14. Midwest Plan Service, Ames, IA.
Southwest Ohio Water Plan. 1976. ODNR Div. of Water.
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Surface and Ground Water Terminology. 1990. L.C. Brown and L.P. Black. AEX 460. Ohio State University Extension.
Water - Ohio's Remarkable Resource. 1982. ODNR Div. of Water.
Withdrawal and Distribution of Water By Public Water Supplies in Ohio, 1985. 1989. USGS Open-File Report 89-423.
This publication was produced through the Ohio Water Resources Education Project, in cooperation with: ODNR Division of Water; Ohio EPA; USGS, Ohio District; and ODH. Project leaders are Larry C. Brown and Karen T. Ricker. Partial financial support for this publication was provided by these cooperating agencies and programs: Brown County office of OSU Extension; Brown County Rural Water Association; Brown Soil and Water Conservation District; Overholt Drainage Education and Research Program; and the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Project (USDA Extension Service Grant No. 90-EWQI-1-9018).
The project leaders express appreciation to the following reviewers: Ed Campbell (USDA Soil Conservation Service, Brown County); Delmar G. Pullins (Brown County Rural Water Association); James M. Raab, David Cashell and Leonard Black (ODNR Division of Water); Scott Golden (Environmental Health, ODH); Steve Hindall (USGS, Ohio District); Robert Burris (USDA Soil Conservation Service, State Office, Columbus); Jay Fleming (Ohio EPA Division of Drinking and Ground Waters); and Larry Antosch (Ohio EPA Division of Surface Water). A special thanks to Michelle Roby (Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Associate) for help in manuscript and illustration preparation, and David Scardena, Editor and Publications Coordinator (Section of Communications and Technology, Ohio State University), for editorial and graphic production.
All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status.
Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Adm. and Director, OSU Extension.
TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868