Future Of Ohio Streams Is Considered
By BRIANNA SADLER For the News-Register
POSTED: April 8, 2008
POWHATAN POINT — For months, the Belmont Soil and Water Conservation District has waited on a decision from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife that could determine the future of one of Ohio’s most pristine streams.
Beverly Riddle, program administrator of the BSWCD, met with representatives from ODNR in December to discuss the possibility of hiring a watershed coordinator for Belmont County. That person would be responsible for maintaining the health of the Captina Watershed, which runs through the southern part of the county from just east of Somerton to Powhatan Point.
Riddle said ODNR is looking at streams in both Belmont and Jefferson counties to decide which county will receive a $35,000 grant for four years to create such a position. Based on recent habitat studies conducted at the Captina Watershed, Riddle said Belmont County has a good chance of receiving that grant.
“We have the ideal stream,” Riddle said. “We want to develop it and continue to take care of it.”
The Captina Watershed is home to 52 different fish species, 20 of which are considered sensitive and 10 of which are considered “highly sensitive.” Recently, the creek scored the highest in the state on the Index of Biotic Integrity, which is “the measure of aquatic vertebrate community and surrounding conditions by using fish species as indicators.”
Captina is also the home of the only reproducing Hellbender fish population in the state.
“Captina is a prime fisherman stream,” Riddle said. “We have the opportunity to promote tourism in Belmont County. It’s right in our backyard.”
The watershed coordinator would focus on any problems or issues in the watershed and develop a plan to try to remedy them. Riddle said the coordinator also would be in charge of educating others about the watershed, keeping it clean and developing the area to someday include a buffer strip, a cattle-watering alternative and a stream crossing.
Once a plan is devised, the coordinator, along with the Board of Commissioners and BSWCD, will file a grant application for $300,000 for a three-year period to help fund the implementation of the findings and all projects.
“We should know within two months,” Riddle said. “Once the decision is made, we’ll start on the application process.”
