The Ashtabula River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 located northeast of Cleveland in Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. The river flows into Lake Erie

Lake Erie

Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...

 at the city of Ashtabula, Ohio

Ashtabula, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,962 people, 8,435 households, and 5,423 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,775.9 people per square mile . There were 9,151 housing units at an average density of 1,211.8 per square mile...

. It is 40 mi (64 km) in length and drains 137 mi² (355 km²).

Name

The Algonquian

Algonquian peoples

The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...

 called the Ashtabula river "Hash-tah-buh-lah", meaning "river of many fish".

According to the Geographic Names Information System

Geographic Names Information System

The Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...

, the Ashtabula River has also been known as:

• Ashtibula River
• Riviere Auscubalu
• Riviere Oscubolu

Watershed

On October 30, 2008 the river was designated a State Scenic River by the Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Pollution

In 1985 the first two miles of the river was named an Area of Concern by the International Joint Commission

International Joint Commission

The International Joint Commission is an independent binational organization established by the United States and Canada under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.The Commission has responsibilities related to the following treaties and agreements:...

, primarily because of Fields Brook, a tributary that had received discharges from 19 industries between the 1940s - 1970s.

Tributaries

• Fields Brook

• Strong Brook
• Hubbard Run
• Ashtabula Creek
• West Branch Ashtabula River
• East Branch Ashtabula River