The 231-mile long Scioto River and its 3,000 miles of tributaries flow 6,300 miles through all or part of 31 central and southern Ohio counties, draining nearly a half million acres before it joins with Ohio River. Agriculture has long been the dominant land use; years ago, outdated farming practices were responsible for creating drainage ditches and channels that increased the nutrient and sediment load to the river. Today, runoff from agricultural lands, from urban areas, and from substandard rural septic systems still dumps nutrients, sediment, chemicals, and potential pathogens into the Scioto River and its tributaries, where they eventually flow downstream to the Gulf of Mexico.


The watershed is home to nearly two million Ohioans and a major source of public drinking water. More than twenty municipal water systems use surface water, while others draw water from wells adjacent to tributaries and the River. The watershed also harbors endangered mussels and fish that are affected by pollution in the watershed.


Watershed partners are using the Federal CREP to offer incentives to farmers and other landowners to plant trees and establish conservation buffers and wetlands on 70,000 acres alongside the River and its tributaries. State CREP partners developed the target area, conservation issues to be addressed, will contribute funds to the federal cost-share program, and will provide technical assistance to landowners.