Monday Creek
Encyclopedia
Monday Creek is a tributary
of the Hocking River
, 27 miles (43.5 km) long, in southeastern Ohio
in the United States
. Via the Hocking and Ohio
Rivers, it is part of the watershed
of the Mississippi River
, draining an area of 116 square miles (300 km²) on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau
. Monday Creek has been badly affected by acid mine drainage
.
in southern Perry County
, and flows generally southwardly through northeastern Hocking County
and northwestern Athens County
, passing through the eastern part of Nelsonville
to its confluence with the Hocking River about 2 miles (3 km) southeast of that city. Its largest tributaries are Little Monday Creek, 14.3 miles (23 km) long, which flows through Perry and Hocking Counties, and the Snow Fork, 10.7 miles (17.2 km) long, which rises in Perry County and flows through Hocking and Athens Counties, through the communities of Murray City
and Buchtel
.
As of 1994, land use in the Monday Creek watershed was occupied this way:
The Wayne National Forest
owns 38% of land in the watershed; the largest private landowner is the Sunday Creek
Mining Company.
, who lived in the region around 1000 BC, were the earliest known inhabitants of the Monday Creek area. Later native
people of the region included the Lenape
, Shawnee
and Wyandot. According to legend, early European explorers of the region named the stream for the day on which it was discovered (also see nearby Sunday Creek
). The earliest white settlements in the area date to 1774; the Ohio Company
purchased all the land in the watershed in two installments in 1787 and 1792.
The aggressive pursuit of natural resources, including coal, timber, salt, iron, and clay took its toll on the watershed from the mid-19th century until well into the 20th century. Iron
production in the area aided the North during the Civil War
. As much as 89% of the Monday Creek watershed was deforested
by 1885, with replanting beginning with the establishment of the Wayne National Forest in 1935. Salt mining
occurred in the watershed in the 19th century; clay brick
production peaked in the early 20th century; oil
and natural gas
production began in 1909.
The earliest coal mines
in the watershed can be traced to the 1860s. Early mines were underground
, a practice which was in sharp decline by the 1920s and had ended completely in the watershed by 1991. Surface mining
was begun post-World War II
and declined in the 1970s. Coal in the watershed is primarily of the Middle Kittaning #6 variety, which is high in sulfur
and has been identified by the Ohio EPA as having a high potential for pollution.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has identified Monday Creek as having been "irretrievably altered to the extent that no appreciable aquatic life can be supported" due to severe contamination by acid mine drainage
.
The Monday Creek Restoration Project, sponsored by Rural Action
, has been working since 1994 to address water quality issues in the Monday Creek watershed. As of 2006, the partnership had received and spent about 4.3 million dollars in state and federal grant money to reduce the impact of acid mine drainage on the watershed.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Hocking River
Hocking River
The Hocking River is a tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States.The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region...
, 27 miles (43.5 km) long, in southeastern 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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Via the Hocking and Ohio
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
Rivers, it is part of the watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, draining an area of 116 square miles (300 km²) on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau
Allegheny Plateau
The Allegheny Plateau is a large dissected plateau area in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio...
. Monday Creek has been badly affected by acid mine drainage
Acid mine drainage
Acid mine drainage , or acid rock drainage , refers to the outflow of acidic water from metal mines or coal mines. However, other areas where the earth has been disturbed may also contribute acid rock drainage to the environment...
.
Course and watershed
Monday Creek rises north of ShawneeShawnee, Ohio
Shawnee is a village in Perry County, Ohio, United States. The population was 608 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shawnee is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
in southern Perry County
Perry County, Ohio
Perry County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. Founded on March 1, 1818, it was the 55th county to be formed in Ohio. Portions of Fairfield, Washington and Muskingum Counties were taken to create Perry County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,058. Its county seat...
, and flows generally southwardly through northeastern Hocking County
Hocking County, Ohio
Hocking County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2010, the population was 29,380. Its county seat is Logan. Its name is from the Hocking River, the origins of which are disputed but is said to be a Delaware Indian word meaning "bottle river".-Geography:According to the...
and northwestern Athens County
Athens County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 62,223 people, 22,501 households, and 12,713 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 24,901 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile...
, passing through the eastern part of Nelsonville
Nelsonville, Ohio
Nelsonville is a city in northwestern Athens County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,230 at the 2000 census. Hocking College is located in Nelsonville.-Geography:...
to its confluence with the Hocking River about 2 miles (3 km) southeast of that city. Its largest tributaries are Little Monday Creek, 14.3 miles (23 km) long, which flows through Perry and Hocking Counties, and the Snow Fork, 10.7 miles (17.2 km) long, which rises in Perry County and flows through Hocking and Athens Counties, through the communities of Murray City
Murray City, Ohio
Murray City is a village in Hocking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 452 at the 2000 census.Murray City was the birthplace of Henry Clifford "Doc" Carlson, a college men's basketball coach from the University of Pittsburgh between 1922 and 1958.-Geography:Murray City is located at ,...
and Buchtel
Buchtel, Ohio
Buchtel is a village in Athens and Hocking counties in the U.S. state of Ohio, just northeast of Nelsonville. The population was 574 at the 2000 census. A former name for the village is Bessemer...
.
- Forest, 87%
- Surface miningSurface miningSurface mining , is a type of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit are removed...
, 5% - Cropland, 3%
- WetlandWetlandA wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s, 2% - Grazing and pasture, 1% each
- Urban, 1%
The Wayne National Forest
Wayne National Forest
The Wayne National Forest is located in the south-eastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, in the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. It is the only national forest in Ohio. Forest headquarters are located between The Plains and Nelsonville, Ohio, on US Route 33, overlooking the Hocking River.The forest...
owns 38% of land in the watershed; the largest private landowner is the Sunday Creek
Sunday Creek
Sunday Creek is a tributary of the Hocking River, 27.2 miles long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Hocking and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining 139 square miles in a mainly rural area of the Allegheny Plateau region...
Mining Company.
History
The AdenaAdena culture
The Adena culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 1000 to 200 BC, in a time known as the early Woodland Period. The Adena culture refers to what were probably a number of related Native American societies sharing a burial complex and ceremonial system...
, who lived in the region around 1000 BC, were the earliest known inhabitants of the Monday Creek area. Later native
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
people of the region included the Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
, Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
and Wyandot. According to legend, early European explorers of the region named the stream for the day on which it was discovered (also see nearby Sunday Creek
Sunday Creek
Sunday Creek is a tributary of the Hocking River, 27.2 miles long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Hocking and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining 139 square miles in a mainly rural area of the Allegheny Plateau region...
). The earliest white settlements in the area date to 1774; the Ohio Company
Ohio Company
The Ohio Company, formally known as the Ohio Company of Virginia, was a land speculation company organized for the settlement by Virginians of the Ohio Country and to trade with the Indians there...
purchased all the land in the watershed in two installments in 1787 and 1792.
The aggressive pursuit of natural resources, including coal, timber, salt, iron, and clay took its toll on the watershed from the mid-19th century until well into the 20th century. Iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
production in the area aided the North during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. As much as 89% of the Monday Creek watershed was deforested
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
by 1885, with replanting beginning with the establishment of the Wayne National Forest in 1935. Salt mining
Salt mine
A salt mine is a mining operation involved in the extraction of rock salt or halite from evaporite deposits.-Occurrence:Areas known for their salt mines include Kilroot near Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland ; Khewra and Warcha in Pakistan; Tuzla in Bosnia; Wieliczka and Bochnia in Poland A salt mine...
occurred in the watershed in the 19th century; clay brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
production peaked in the early 20th century; oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
production began in 1909.
The earliest coal mines
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
in the watershed can be traced to the 1860s. Early mines were underground
Sub-surface mining
Underground mining refers to a group of underground mining techniques used to extract coal, oil shale and other minerals or geological materials from sedimentary rocks...
, a practice which was in sharp decline by the 1920s and had ended completely in the watershed by 1991. Surface mining
Surface mining
Surface mining , is a type of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit are removed...
was begun post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and declined in the 1970s. Coal in the watershed is primarily of the Middle Kittaning #6 variety, which is high in sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
and has been identified by the Ohio EPA as having a high potential for pollution.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has identified Monday Creek as having been "irretrievably altered to the extent that no appreciable aquatic life can be supported" due to severe contamination by acid mine drainage
Acid mine drainage
Acid mine drainage , or acid rock drainage , refers to the outflow of acidic water from metal mines or coal mines. However, other areas where the earth has been disturbed may also contribute acid rock drainage to the environment...
.
The Monday Creek Restoration Project, sponsored by Rural Action
Rural Action
Rural Action is a non profit working in Appalachian Ohio promoting economic, social and environmental justice. The organization envisions a region of clean streams, healthy forests, thriving family farms, meaningful jobs for everyone and lively towns that remember local history and celebrate their...
, has been working since 1994 to address water quality issues in the Monday Creek watershed. As of 2006, the partnership had received and spent about 4.3 million dollars in state and federal grant money to reduce the impact of acid mine drainage on the watershed.