Ohio River

300,000,000 BCE - present

At almost a thousand miles, the Ohio River begins at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and empties into the Mississippi River in Cairo, Illinois. The Ohio River Basin covers 14 states and 204,000 square miles. Its name comes from the Seneca (Iroquois) phrase “Ohio:yó,” meaning “good,” “beautiful,” or “great river.” The rivers making up the Ohio formed millions of years ago. Countless indigenous peoples used the river for transportation and irrigation, and valued the basing for its hunting land. The prairies and plains provided fertile soil for early American agriculture and development. Bears, wolves, wildcats, raccoons, opossums, deer, squirrels, wild turkeys, porcupines, otters, mink, and groundhogs are all native to the region. Forests of beech, ash, elm, sycamore, sugar-maples, dog-wood, oak, pine, and walnut scatter the territory.

Around the Ohio River, local resources like coal, salt, lead, and iron spurred the growth of major cities like Pittsburgh. The river offered a crucial flow of transportation during early urbanization and industrialization of the basin. Steamboats transported goods along the river, starting a new era of pollution, resource extraction, and habitat destruction. In the late 1800s, damming on the Ohio began to help distribute water during times of drought and combat the effects of flooding. In the early 1900s the river was reduced to “little more than a gigantic national sewer” when it was estimated that nearly 65 tons of pure acid were being dumped into the river daily from mines, mills, and factories. Hundreds of animal and plant species faced habitat loss from the explosion of development in the region. The lake sturgeon, Alabama shad, and crystal darter all became extinct in the Ohio River. Attempts to clean up the river began in the middle of the 20th century, and by its last quarter 22 species of fish saw significant improvement. This positive trend was rocked however by pollution from persistent presence of industry along the river. The Ashland tank failure on the Monongahela River, one of the worst inland oil spills in the nation’s history, affected over a million people across 80 communities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. In Martin County, Kentucky, over 300 million gallons of coal slurry (30 times larger than Exxon Valdez) broke through a reservoir destroying the habitat of hundreds of species. The Ohio River, listed as the most polluted river in America, is flooded with heavy metals from the coal, steel, and chemical industry. Nutrients from agricultural runoff and sewer overflows make their way into the river, increasing dangerous algae blooms. Non-native invasive species like the zebra mussel have wreaked havoc on native food chains. Despite these issues, efforts by the Seneca Nation of Indians to increase stream and shoreline restoration have benefited sacred fish species like the brook trout and steelhead. The Ohio River and its surrounding basin provide a home to hundreds of rare plant and animal species, all of which face serious threats from pollution, climate change, and invasive species.

BIRDS: 2 species are extinct and 1 is threatened
FISH: 4 species are extinct and 9 are endangered
MAMMALS: 1 species is endangered
BIVALVES: 11 mussel species are extinct and 46 are endangered or species of concern

The territory of the Ohio River watershed falls within the ancestral homelands of the Adena Culture, Cherokee East, Chickasaw, Hopewell Culture, Kaskaskia, Kickapoo, Monongahela Culture, Myaamia, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Ofo, Osage, Quapaw, Shawandasse Tula (Shawanwaki/Shawnee), and Yuchi peoples.

Territorial recognition: https://native-land.ca/

Most Pressing Issues

Damming

There are 20 dams on the Ohio River, greatly changing its flow by creating a series of slow moving pools, rather than a free flowing river. Dams disrupt the migration of fish throughout the ecosystem and damage surrounding habitats.

Development

Population growth and development, both commercial and residential, have increased over the years, resulting in the destruction and fragmentation of thousands of acres of habitat. Industry along the river leads to pollution through poor waste management and the destruction of fragile native habitats. Agricultural runoff coming from the River Basin alters the water’s chemistry, increasing toxic algae blooms.

Invasive Species

Non-native invasive species like the asian carp, zebra mussel, bush honeysuckle, callery pear, lesser celandine, and autumn olive are all present in the Ohio River. These species damage natural habitats, out compete native species for resources, and negatively affect food chains.

Climate Change

Rising global temperatures have affected precipitation patterns that in turn affect flooding and droughts across the globe. The Ohio River is facing changing flood levels and altered flow as the climate continues to change. Species face habitat loss and destruction. Climate change negatively affects several aspects of the River Basin ecosystem and its native species.

How You Can Help

Ohio River Foundation

For more than 20 years, Ohio River Foundation has worked diligently to protect and improve the water quality and ecology of the Ohio River and its watershed.

Nature Conservancy — Ohio

For more than 60 years, people like you have helped The Nature Conservancy protect nearly 65,000 acres of Ohio's lakes, forests, winding rivers and rolling hills.

Ohio Environmental Council

The mission of the Ohio Environmental Council is to secure healthy air, land, and water for all who call Ohio home. It is the state’s most comprehensive, effective and respected environmental advocate for a healthier, more sustainable Ohio.

Environment Ohio

Environment Ohio, a project of Environment America, is a policy and action group with one mission: to build a greener, healthier world.

The Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition

The Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition's mission is to organize and maintain a diverse grassroots organization dedicated to the improvement and preservation of the environment and communities through education, grassroots organizing and coalition building, leadership development, strategic litigation and media outreach. Their work encompasses much of West Virginia and the Ohio River Valley.

Sources:

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The Public Ledger, January 10, 1914.

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April Johnston, "'That's vinegar:' The Ohio River's history of contamination and progress made," Environmental Health News, November 14, 2019.

Nielsen et al. 1986; Thomas et al. 2005

Tom Cross, Fishing Ohio: An Angler’s Guide to over 200 Fishing Spots in the Buckeye State (Guilford, CT: Lyons, 2008), 341.

Zintkala Eiring, "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region," USFWS Northeast Blog, November 29. 2017.

Richard Neves, “Partnerships for Ohio River Mussels," USFWS, April 14, 2015.

James Bruggers, "Army engineers warn of brutal future for Ohio River region from climate change," November 30, 2017, Courier Journal.

Jeff Brooks-Gillies, "Fighting pollution and apathy on the Lower Ohio," Environmental Health News, December 4, 2019.

Ryan Van Velzer, "Drought Driving Toxic Algal Blooms Along Ohio River," 89.3 WFPL News Louisville, September 30, 2019.

Ryan Van Velzer, "PFAS found throughout Ohio River in new study," 89.3 WFPL News Louisville, June 21, 2022.

Laura Arenschield, “Toxic Algae Bloom Now Stretches 650 Miles along Ohio River,” The Columbus Dispatch, October 3, 2015.

"The Ohio River and Its Watershed,” Ohio River Foundation.

“Invasive Species,” Ohio River Foundation.