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The Maumee River Watershed begins in Fort Wayne, Indiana where the St. Joseph and St. Mary's Rivers join to begin their combined flow northeast as the Maumee River. The main stem of the Maumee River winds for 25 miles in Indiana until it crosses the state border into Ohio. The river continues for another 105 river miles to ultimately flow into the western basin of Lake Erie at Maumee bay. Here is an image of the Entire Maumee River Watershed. |
With 3,942 stream miles, the Maumee River has the largest drainage of any in the Great Lakes. This river is fed through the rain or snow that falls within it's massive 4.2 million acre watershed (roughly 6,600 square miles). Major contributing streams include the St. Joseph River, St. Mary's River, Tiffin River, Auglaize River, Blanchard River, Swan Creek and Ottawa River.
An estimated 1.7 million people live in and rely on the Maumee River watershed in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. Even with an increase in population, water quality in the Maumee River has significantly improved over the last three decades, due in part to rules enacted in the 1972 Clean Water Act and subsequent amendments. Despite improvements, Ohio EPA estimates that more than 40% of thestreams in the Maumee River watershed do not meet Clean Water Act goals. Leaking landfills, sediment and chemical runoff from farm fields and inadequate wastewater treatment are just a few of the problems that still impact our watershed. Many land owners, government agencies and nonprofit organizations and private companies are working diligently to establish and impliment programs to eliminate or reduce pollution impacts on our streams. These efforts are making a difference but each citizen living in the watershed needs to do his or her part to reduce pollution inputs into the Maumee River watershed. There are several ways you may choose to get involved.
The Maumee River developed through a series of geological events occurring 4,00 to 14,000 years ago. As glacial ice coverage changed, drainage outlets were blocked and lake levels fluctuated. At one point, the lake extended as far west as Fort Wayne and deposited the fine silty soils that have proven fertile for our region's farming industry.
This thick blanket of water retaining soil provided the foundation for an expansive wetland community that covered most of the Maumee River basin. Referred to as "The Great Black Swamp", this area once extended over an area about one third the size of the Florida Everglades. It was both rich with life and full of peril for anyone living within it's boundaries.
During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, there was a significant movement of Native American people, particularly the Miami's, into the Maumee River Valley. Tribal warfare and pressures of European settlement forced Native Americans into these inhospitable swamps. The Maumee River was named by the Miami Indians - one of the last dominant Native American tribes to inhabit the river vally before European settlement.
Address:
ACPWQ
3718 New Vision Drive
Fort Wayne, IN 46845
Phone:
260-484-5848 EXT. 111
email: matt.jones@nacdnet.net
URL: http://www.acwater.org