Mahoning River Watershed - Ashtabula County, Ohio

Mahoning River Watershed - Streamside Forest

The river is more than just the water. The river is also the river bottom, or riverbed, and the land alongside the river known as the riparian zone. The condition of the riparian zone is crucial to the life of the river and any other body of water (stream, reservoir, lake, etc.) Ideally, the riparian zone should be forested; by being a forest, it is a lifesaver because it provides cover for millions of creatures living in and along the river and streams; keeps the water cool in the hot summer (the temperature of the water affects everything in it: the plants and aquatic life); protects the river and streams from pollution; keeps the banks from eroding and letting mud and silt into the water (mud and silt are one of our biggest sources of pollution); and provides decaying leaves in the fall, which nourish river creatures.

Support for this project provided in part by the Ohio Board of Regents' Urban University Program

YSU Public Service Institute, One University Plaza, Youngstown, Ohio 44555-3355. This site created by Carol Trube, September 2001. Contact us: urban-studies@cc.ysu.edu with questions regarding this site. Contact the Project Coordinator regarding the Mahoning River Watershed project This website is funded by a grant from US EPA and Ohio EPA.

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