Big Darby Creek

River

Big Darby Creek

Physical characteristics
Mouth
• location	Scioto River, Columbus, Ohio
Length	84 miles (135 km)
Basin size	556.6 square miles (1,442 km²)

Discharge
• location	Darbydale
• average	498 cu ft/s (14.1 m³/s), USGS water years 1922-2019^[1]

Basin features
River system	Lower Scioto River Basin

National Wild and Scenic Rivers System
Type	Scenic
Designated	March 10, 1994

Big Darby Creek is a scenic river located in northwestern central Ohio, and an important tributary to the Lower Scioto River. The river's major tributary is the Little Darby Creek.

The river runs 84 miles (135 km) from its source near the Champaign-Union county line, south-east through Union and Madison Counties. In Franklin County, the river runs through the 7,060 acres (2,860 ha) Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park,^[2] where it meets with the Little Darby Creek.^[3] Directly downstream from the park, the river empties into the Scioto River in Pickaway County at 39°36′50″N 82°57′47″W / 39.613805°N 82.963108°W / 39.613805; -82.963108.

Big Darby Creek is one of the most biologically diverse aquatic systems in the Midwestern United States.^[4] It is the site of the only known population of the Scioto madtom, a fish which is now thought to be extinct.^[5] In addition, for its size the creek "has the greatest diversity of freshwater mussels in North America. Forty species have been reported from the system."^[6] During creek bird surveys from 1989-1991, Zoologist Dan Rice identified 86 species of riparian corridor bird species adjacent to Big Darby Creek Scenic River. Between 1984 and 1992 Rice conducted fish surveys and found 72 species of fish in Big Darby Creek.^{[citation needed]}

History

When The Columbus Dispatch published an article in 1967 revealing the City of Columbus' plans to purchase over 4,000 acres (16 km²) along the river to build a reservoir, a political and legal battle ensued between the municipality and several environmental groups working with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. From 1974 to 1984, both sides exchanged victories and the legal battle continued into the Ohio Supreme Court, who ended the battle by ruling that the 'scenic river' designation was constitutional.^{[citation needed]} On June 22, 1984, the Upper and Lower Darby Creeks were designated a state scenic river, and then added to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System on March 10, 1994.^[7] In 2003, Big Darby and Little Darby Creeks were also given their own Historical Markers.^[8]

In 2008, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium built a new exhibit focusing on the Big Darby Creek and its more than 38 rare species of fish and mussels,^[9] and in 2009, the City of Columbus, Franklin County Metro Parks, the Ohio Nature Conservancy and other companies spent more than $6 million on seven projects designed to restore sections of the river and its tributaries.^[10]

The highest recorded flood crest was 17.94 feet (5.47 m) on January 22, 1959.^[11]

Gallery

Historical Marker in Galloway
Flood Gauge in Pickaway County
Big Darby Creek downstream from meeting Little Darby creek
Bridge crossing Big Darby Creek located on Scioto-Darby Road in Pickaway County
Confluence of the Big (front) and Little (rear) Darby creeks

References

^ "USGS Water-Year Summary for Site 03230500". waterdata.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
^ "Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park". trails.com. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
^ Franklin County Metro Parks, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
^ The Nature Conservancy, Darby Creek Watershed Archived 2009-09-22 at the Wayback Machine
^ USFWS. Noturus trautmani Five-year Review. December 2009.
^ OBS Survey Notes ^{[dead link]}
^ Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Big Darby Creek State and National Scenic River Archived 2011-06-27 at the Wayback Machine.
^ Ohio History Connection, Big and Little Darby Creeks Historical Marker Info
^ Narciso, D. Zoo exhibit to spotlight Big Darby Creek. The Columbus Dispatch January 13, 2008.
^ Hunt, S. and T. Baker. Crooked creeks. The Columbus Dispatch December 13, 2009.
^ National Weather Service, Big Darby Creek at Darbyville.

Protected areas of Ohio

Federal

National parks	Cuyahoga Valley
National historical parks and sites	Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP First Ladies NHS Hopewell Culture NHP James A. Garfield NHS William Howard Taft NHS
National monuments	Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers
National memorials	David Berger Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial
National trails	North Country Trail
National forests	Wayne
National Wild and Scenic Rivers	Big Darby Creek Little Beaver Creek Little Darby Creek Little Miami River
National Wildlife Refuges	Cedar Point Ottawa West Sister Island
National estuarine research reserve	Old Woman Creek
National Natural Landmarks	Brown's Lake Bog Cedar Bog Dysart Woods Fort Hill State Memorial Glen Helen Nature Preserve Mantua Bog State Nature Preserve Tinker's Creek Gorge

State

State parks	Adams Lake Alum Creek A. W. Marion Barkcamp Beaver Creek Blue Rock Buck Creek Buckeye Lake Burr Oak Caesar Creek Catawba Island Cleveland Lakefront Cowan Lake Deer Creek Delaware Dillon East Fork East Harbor Findley Forked Run Geneva Grand Lake St. Marys Great Council Great Seal Guilford Lake Harrison Lake Headlands Beach Hocking Hills Hueston Woods Independence Dam Indian Lake Jackson Lake Jefferson Lake John Bryan Kelleys Island Kiser Lake Lake Alma Lake Hope Lake Logan Lake Loramie Lake Milton Lake White Little Miami Madison Lake Malabar Farm Marblehead Lighthouse Mary Jane Thurston Middle Bass Island Maumee Bay Mohican Mosquito Lake Mount Gilead Muskingum River Nelson Kennedy Ledges Paint Creek Pike Lake Portage Lakes Punderson Pymatuning Quail Hollow Rocky Fork Salt Fork Scioto Trail Shawnee South Bass Island Stonelick Strouds Run Sycamore Tar Hollow Tinkers Creek Van Buren West Branch Wingfoot Lake Wolf Run
State forests	Beaver Creek Blue Rock Brush Creek Dean Fernwood Gifford Harrison Hocking Maumee Mohican-Memorial Perry Pike Richland Furnace Scioto Trail Shade River Shawnee Sunfish Creek Tar Hollow Yellow Creek Zaleski
State nature preserves	Acadia Cliffs Adams Lake Prairie Audubon Islands Augusta-Anne Olsen Aurora Sanctuary Baker Woods Betsch Fen Bigelow Cemetery Blackhand Gorge Bonnet Pond Boord Brown's Lake Bog Burton Wetlands Caesar Creek Gorge Carmean Woods Cedar Bog Chaparral Prairie Christmas Rocks Clear Creek Clear Fork Gorge Clifton Gorge Compass Plant Prairie Conkle's Hollow Cooperrider-Kent Bog Crabill Fen Cranberry Bog Crane Hollow Crooked Run Culberson Woods Davey Woods Davis Memorial Drew Woods Dupont Marsh Eagle Creek Edward Thomas Emerald Hills Erie Sand Barrens Etawah Woods Evans Beck Memorial Flatiron Lake Bog Fowler Woods Frame Lake Fen Gahanna Woods Gallagher/Springfield Fen Goll Woods Goode Prairie Gott Fen Greenbelt Greenville Falls Gross Memorial Woods Hatch-Otis Halls Creek Headlands Dunes Howard Collier Hueston Woods Hutchins (Highland) Irwin Prairie Jackson Bog Johnson Ridge Johnson Woods Karlo Fen Kendrick Woods Kessler Swamp Kiser Lake Wetlands Kitty Todd Knox Woods Kyle Woods Ladd Natural Bridge Lake Katharine Lakeside Daisy Lawrence Woods Little Rocky Hollow Lou Campbell Mantua Bog Marie J. Desonier Marsh Wetlands McCracken Fen Mentor Marsh Milford Center Railroad Prairie Miller Morris Woods Mud Lake Bog Myersville Newberry North Pond North Shore Alvar Novak Sanctuary Old Woman Creek Owens/Liberty Fen Pallister Pickerington Ponds Portage Lakes Wetland Prairie Road Fen Raven Rock Rhododendeon Cove Riddle Rockbridge Rome Rothenbuhler Woods Saltpetre Cave Sears Woods Seymour Woods Shallenberger Sharon Woods Gorge Sheepskin Hollow Sheick Hollow Sheldon Marsh Shoemaker Siegenthaler-Kaestner Esker Smith Cemetery Spring Beauty Dell Spring Brook Sanctuary Springville Marsh Stage's Pond Strait Creek Prairie Stratford Woods Swamp Cottonwood Tinker's Creek Travertine Fen Triangle Lake Bog Trillium Trails Tummonds Walter Tucker Warder-Perkins Whipple White Pine Bog Forest William C. McCoy Zimmerman Prairie
State scenic rivers	Big Darby Creek Chagrin River Conneaut Creek Cuyahoga River Grand River Greenville Creek Kokosing River Little Beaver Creek Little Darby Creek Little Miami River Maumee River Mohican River Olentangy River Sandusky River Stillwater River

Regional

Metro Parks	Ashtabula County Metroparks Cleveland Metroparks Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks Erie MetroParks Five Rivers MetroParks Geauga Park District Great Parks of Hamilton County Johnny Appleseed Metro Parks Lake Metroparks Lorain County Metro Parks Metroparks of Butler County Metroparks Toledo Mill Creek MetroParks Summit Metro Parks Trumbull County MetroParks