Wills Creek (Ohio)
Encyclopedia
Wills Creek is a tributary
of the Muskingum River
, 92.2 mi (148.4 km) long, in eastern Ohio
in the United States
. Via the Muskingum and Ohio
Rivers, it is part of the watershed
of the Mississippi River
. It drains an area of 853 mi² (2,209 km²).
The United States Board on Geographic Names
settled on "Wills Creek" as the stream's name in 1963. According to the Geographic Names Information System
, it has also been known historically as "Cou-wach-en-ink" and as "Will's Creek."
Wills Creek is formed by a confluence of short forks near Pleasant City
in southern Guernsey County
, and initially flows northwardly through Byesville
, Cambridge
and Kimbolton
. Near Kimbolton it turns westwardly and flows through southeastern Coshocton
and northeastern Muskingum
Counties, past Plainfield
, to its mouth at the Muskingum River, 8 mi (13 km) south of the city of Coshocton
.
Near its mouth, a flood-control dam
causes the creek to form Wills Creek Lake.
Huntington District's history (established 1938) to reach its spillway elevation and have water flow uncontrolled over the top of the spillway. On that day Wills Creek Lake was 37 feet (11.3 m) above its normal level of 749 feet (above sea level), and spanned 20452 acres (82.8 km²), causing it to be the largest man-made lake in the state of Ohio.
This extreme event was caused by an average of 5-8 inches of rain falling over Central Indiana and Ohio during January 4–14, 2005. This rain combined with snow melt and saturated ground to produce record breaking runoff. Other reservoirs also set pool level records, including Alum Creek
, Deer Creek, Delaware Lake, Paint Creek
, Atwood Lake
, Bolivar Dam, Charles Mill Lake
, Dillon Lake, Dover Dam and Mohawk Dam
.
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 Muskingum River
Muskingum River
The Muskingum River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 111 miles long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country of Ohio...
, 92.2 mi (148.4 km) long, in eastern 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 Muskingum 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...
. It drains an area of 853 mi² (2,209 km²).
The United States Board on Geographic Names
United States Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names is a United States federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the U.S. government.-Overview:...
settled on "Wills Creek" as the stream's name in 1963. According to the Geographic Names Information System
Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...
, it has also been known historically as "Cou-wach-en-ink" and as "Will's Creek."
Wills Creek is formed by a confluence of short forks near Pleasant City
Pleasant City, Ohio
Pleasant City is a village in Guernsey County, Ohio, United States. The population was 439 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pleasant City is located at ....
in southern Guernsey County
Guernsey County, Ohio
Guernsey County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 40,087. Its county seat is Cambridge and is named for the Isle of Guernsey in the English Channel, from which many of the county's early settlers came....
, and initially flows northwardly through Byesville
Byesville, Ohio
Byesville is a village in Guernsey County, Ohio, United States, along Wills Creek. The population was 2,574 as of the 2000 census.-Geography:Byesville is located at ....
, Cambridge
Cambridge, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,520 people, 4,924 households, and 2,954 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,055.1 people per square mile . There were 5,585 housing units of an average density of 996.3 per square mile...
and Kimbolton
Kimbolton, Ohio
Kimbolton is a census-designated place in Guernsey County, Ohio, United States, along Wills Creek. The population was 190 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a village. In March 2004, the electorate voted to surrender the corporate powers of the Village of Kimbolton to the trustees of Liberty...
. Near Kimbolton it turns westwardly and flows through southeastern Coshocton
Coshocton County, Ohio
Coshocton County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,901. Its county seat is Coshocton. Its name comes from the Delaware Indian language and has been translated as "union of waters" or "black bear crossing".The Coshocton...
and northeastern Muskingum
Muskingum County, Ohio
Muskingum County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 86,074. Its county seat is Zanesville...
Counties, past Plainfield
Plainfield, Ohio
Plainfield is a village in Coshocton County, Ohio, United States, along Wills Creek. The population was 158 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Plainfield is located at ....
, to its mouth at the Muskingum River, 8 mi (13 km) south of the city of Coshocton
Coshocton, Ohio
Coshocton is a city in and the county seat of Coshocton County, Ohio, United States. The population of the city was 11,682 at the 2000 census. The Walhonding River and the Tuscarawas River meet in Coshocton to form the Muskingum River....
.
Near its mouth, a flood-control dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
causes the creek to form Wills Creek Lake.
January, 2005 Flood
On January 16, 2005 the Wills Creek Dam 40°09′22"N 81°50′51"W became the only dam in the Army Corps of EngineersUnited States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
Huntington District's history (established 1938) to reach its spillway elevation and have water flow uncontrolled over the top of the spillway. On that day Wills Creek Lake was 37 feet (11.3 m) above its normal level of 749 feet (above sea level), and spanned 20452 acres (82.8 km²), causing it to be the largest man-made lake in the state of Ohio.
This extreme event was caused by an average of 5-8 inches of rain falling over Central Indiana and Ohio during January 4–14, 2005. This rain combined with snow melt and saturated ground to produce record breaking runoff. Other reservoirs also set pool level records, including Alum Creek
Alum Creek
Alum Creek is long creek that runs north to south in central Ohio. The creek originates in Morrow County and then flows through Delaware County and finally into Franklin County, where it ends at Big Walnut Creek, which drains into the Scioto River. In 1974, the Army Corps of Engineers completed...
, Deer Creek, Delaware Lake, Paint Creek
Paint Creek (Ohio)
Paint Creek is a tributary of the Scioto River, 94.7 mi long, in south-central Ohio in the United States. Via the Scioto and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River. It drains an area of 1,143 mi²...
, Atwood Lake
Atwood Lake
Atwood Lake is a reservoir located in Tuscarawas and Carroll counties in east central Ohio. The lake is formed by Atwood Dam across Indian Fork, a tributary of Conotton Creek . The lake is named for the community of Atwood which was purchased, demolished and inundated...
, Bolivar Dam, Charles Mill Lake
Charles Mill Lake
Charles Mill is a reservoir located in central Ohio near the junction of State Routes 430 and 603. Charles Mill Lake is a quiet and enjoyable place for boating, camping, fishing, hunting, or hiking. The lake is located in both Richland County and Ashland County , with the dam located in Ashland...
, Dillon Lake, Dover Dam and Mohawk Dam
Mohawk Dam
Mohawk Dam, located in Jefferson Township, Coshocton County, Ohio northwest of Nellie, is a dry dam constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in the mid 1930s for the purpose of flood control on the Walhonding River. The dam is part of the larger 18-county Muskingum Watershed...
.