Yellow Creek Watershed
Restoration Coalition

Mission Statement: To protect and improve the environment in the Yellow Creek Watershed located in Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, and Jefferson Counties.

Watershed Statistics

Length	34 miles
Area	239 square miles
Location	Jefferson, Carroll, Columbiana, and Harrison counties. Yellow Creek flows toward Hammondsville where it drains to the Ohio River.
Pollutants	Acid mine drainage, bacteria, sewage, agriculture.

Summary

Pollutants

This watershed is severely affected by acid mine drainage, which comes from abandoned underground mines and unreclaimed surface mines in the area. The area has been mined since the 1800s, and there is still active mining in the headwaters of the sub-basin of one of the tributaries, Brush Creek. Yellow Creek also suffers from high levels of bacteria in the water. Sources of this pollution include failing septic systems, cattle with direct access to streams, historic surface and subsurface mines, and run-off from agricultural landscapes feeding lake production. The land in this watershed is dominated by forested areas.

History

Founded in 1998, the Yellow Creek Watershed Restoration Coalition (YCWRC) is a grassroots group composed of concerned citizens, land owners, business owners, and local, state, and federal governmental agencies to help preserve and restore the quality of Yellow Creek Watershed. The coalition began when Brush Creek Township Trustees contacted the Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District out of concern for acid mine drainage pollution in area streams. Since then other sources of pollution in the watershed have been discussed at bi-monthly meetings and through surveys of watershed residents. The YCWRC is now an incorporated 501(c) 3 organization that has grown in size and capacity since its inception thirteen years ago. The coalition’s mission is to restore and protect the water quality in the Yellow Creek Watershed. The coalition has adopted bylaws and a Conflict of Interest Policy that it endorses yearly.

Funding

The Yellow Creek Watershed Restoration Coalition has received funding from the Ohio EPA, the Office of Surface Mining (OSM), the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District, and Women in Mining.

Yellow Creek Mission and Goals

• To protect and improve the environment in the 239 square mile Yellow Creek Watershed located in Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, and Jefferson Counties
• Research Water Quality History
• Inform and Involve the Public
• Develop Water Monitoring Programs
• Identify Resources to implement water quality improvement practices
• Assist in the balance of the needs of the community and the stewardship in the resource