Waterloo Township is one of the fourteen townships

Civil township

A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...

 of 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...

, 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...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The 2000 census

United States Census, 2000

The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

 found 2,605 people in the township.

Geography

Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships:

• York Township
  York Township, Athens County, Ohio
  York Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 7,740 people in the township, 1,947 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - north
• Dover Township
  Dover Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Dover Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,797 people in the township, 2,730 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northeast corner
• Athens Township
  Athens Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Athens Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 27,714 people in the township, 6,680 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - east
• Alexander Township
  Alexander Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Alexander Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,614 people in the township, 2,590 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southeast corner
• Lee Township
  Lee Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Lee Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,531 people in the township, 1,747 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - south
• Knox Township, Vinton County
  Knox Township, Vinton County, Ohio
  Knox Township is one of the twelve townships of Vinton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 599 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the far eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - southwest corner
• Brown Township, Vinton County
  Brown Township, Vinton County, Ohio
  Brown Township is one of the twelve townships of Vinton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 281 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - west
• Starr Township, Hocking County
  Starr Township, Hocking County, Ohio
  Starr Township is one of the eleven townships of Hocking County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,477 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:*Green Township - north...
  
   - northwest corner

No municipalities are located in Waterloo Township, although three unincorporated communities

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 lie in the township: New Marshfield

New Marshfield, Ohio

New Marshfield is a census-designated place in central Waterloo Township, Athens County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 45766...

 in the center, Carbondale

Carbondale, Ohio

Carbondale is an unincorporated community in northwestern Waterloo Township, Athens County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 45717. It is located a short distance north of State Route 56....

 in the township's northwest, and Mineral

Mineral, Ohio

Mineral is an unincorporated community in Waterloo Township, Athens County, Ohio, United States. Centered on State Route 356, it was established as a coal-mining community. It is located on Mud Lick Run, which flows into nearby Hewitt Fork, a tributary of Raccoon Creek. The B&O Railroad once ran...

 in the west-center of the township.

Government

The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer, who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.

Public Lands

Waterloo Township includes the entirety of the Waterloo Wildlife Research Station

Waterloo Wildlife Research Station

right|thumbThe Waterloo Wildlife Research Station is a Ohio state wildlife area located in western Waterloo Township, Athens County, Ohio. Purchase for the area was begun in 1944 . The area was greatly expanded in 2005 when 945 acres were added. It was originally named the Waterloo Wildlife...

, the Waterloo State Forest, and a significant portion of the Zaleski State Forest

Zaleski State Forest

Zaleski State Forest is the second-largest state forest in the U.S. state of Ohio, located primarily in Vinton County, with areas in Athens County as well. The 28,000 acre forest surrounds Lake Hope State Park in Vinton County, and extensively borders the Waterloo Wildlife Research Station in...

. The Moonville Rail-Trail

Moonville Rail-Trail

right|thumb|King Switch TunnelThe Moonville Rail-Trail is a sixteen-mile rail-trail in southeast Ohio, located in Vinton and Athens Counties. It is largely embedded in the Zaleski State Forest and passes close to Lake Hope State Park...

 originates in Mineral

Mineral, Ohio

Mineral is an unincorporated community in Waterloo Township, Athens County, Ohio, United States. Centered on State Route 356, it was established as a coal-mining community. It is located on Mud Lick Run, which flows into nearby Hewitt Fork, a tributary of Raccoon Creek. The B&O Railroad once ran...

 within the township. Points of interest in the township include "Devils Tea-Table", a geological pillar formation on private land; the King Switch Tunnel, a timber tunnel on the Moonville Rail-Trail

Moonville Rail-Trail

right|thumb|King Switch TunnelThe Moonville Rail-Trail is a sixteen-mile rail-trail in southeast Ohio, located in Vinton and Athens Counties. It is largely embedded in the Zaleski State Forest and passes close to Lake Hope State Park...

; a small natural bridge on Biddyville Road, and the county's largest beaver

Beaver

The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...

pond, also on Biddyville Road.