A portion of Carroll County is in the Huff Run Watershed, which is home to the Huff Run Watershed Restoration Partnership, Inc.  Maureen Wise is serving as the Coordinator and Michelle Shively is the VISTA volunteer.  You may contact them at www.huffrun.org.  The Huff Run Partnership celebrated its 10-year anniversary in August.  Formed in 1996, the HRWRP’s mission is to restore the Huff Run Watershed by improving water quality and enhancing wildlife habitat, through community support and involvement.  The Huff Run Watershed is 14.1 square miles, and has been severely impacted by past mining activities in the area.  The partnerships many achievements include completing a state-endorsed watershed plan and working with state and federal agencies and other non-profit organizations to complete eight reclamation projects.  Problems in the watershed include acid mine drainage, which turns stream orange and raises acidity and metal content of water, illegal dumping, sewage problems, agricultural and oil and gas impacts, and poor riparian corridors.

Carroll Soil and Water Conservation District sponsored the Carrollton FFA team which consisted of 5 Future Farmers of America chapter members.  Team members were Melanie Vance, John Neider, Austin Kirk, Jesse Roof and Quinn Miller.  FFA Advisors Dan Kirk and Kelly Pridemore stated this was the first time a Carrollton team has advanced to the state level.  On May 3 the team competed at the area level and finished second out of 52 teams.  They then advanced to the state level which was at the University of Findlay.  The annual event is an outdoor academic competition that tests students’ knowledge of soil and land use, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology and current environmental issues. The students also prepared a short oral presentation on this year’s topic: Water Stewardship in a Changing Climate. Sponsors of this year’s competition included the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Soil &Water conservation and the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. 

Another portion of Carroll County is in the Yellow Creek Watershed.  In order to identify and characterize areas contributing to non-point source pollution, the JSWCD, and the Yellow Creek Watershed Restoration Coalition are working with Office of Surface Mining VISTA Volunteer Maggie Corder to identify what may be contributing to acid mine drainage in Yellow Creek and its tributaries. AMD has had a devastating impact on aquatic life throughout the coal producing regions of Ohio. Discharge associated with mining practices result in acidic and metal-laden waters. This results in the decline of biodiversity and poses risks to human health.

A watershed is the land that water flows across or under on its way to a stream, river, or lake. The landscape is made up of many interconnected basins, or watersheds. Within each watershed, all water runs to the lowest point - a stream, river, or lake. On its way water travels over the surface and across farm fields, forest lands, suburban lawns, and city streets, or it seeps into the soil and travels as ground water. Large watersheds like the Mississippi River and Lake Erie are made up of many smaller watersheds across several states. Everyone and everything in a watershed influences what happens to the watershed as a whole.