Lake Erie Basin

Lake Erie Basin consists of Lake Erie and surrounding watersheds, which are typically named after the river, creek, or stream that provides drainage into the lake. The watersheds are located in the states of Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania in the United States, and in the province of Ontario in Canada. The basin is part of the Great Lakes Basin and Saint Lawrence River Watershed, which feeds into the Atlantic Ocean. 80% of the lake's water flows in from the Detroit River, with only 9% coming from all of the remaining watersheds combined. A littoral zone serves as the interface between land and lake, being that portion of the basin where the lake is less than in depth.

History

The Lake Erie Basin was formed at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation. The basin was part of Glacial Lake Maumee until an eastern drainage opened at Niagara, at which point the Maumee River Watershed reversed its flow eastward. The Great Black Swamp is thought to be a remnant of the glacial lake.

Geography

Indiana

Michigan

Michigan's drainage basin consists of.

Belle Watershed
* Belle River
Black Watershed
* Black River
Clinton Watershed
* Clinton River
Detroit Watershed
* Detroit River
* Ecorse River
* River Rouge
Huron Watershed
* Huron River
* Portage River
Pine Watershed
* Pine River
Raisin Watershed
* River Raisin
Maumee Watershed
* Tiffin River becomes Bean Creek in northern Ohio and Michigan

New York

New York's drainage basin covers.

Buffalo River Watershed
* Buffalo Creek, Little Buffalo Creek, and Buffalo River
* Cayuga Creek
* Cazenovia Creek
* Hunter Creek
Cattaraugus Creek Watershed
* Cattaraugus Creek
Chautauqua Creek - Lake Erie Watershed
* Beaver Creek
* Chautauqua Creek
* Crooked Brook
* Hyde Creek
* Scott Creek
* Silver Creek
* [Twentymile Creek (Lake Erie County, Ohio|Erie tributary)|Twentymile Creek]
* Walnut Creek

Ohio

Ashtabula-Chagrin Watershed
* Ashtabula River
* Chagrin River
Auglaize Watershed
* Auglaize River
* Ottawa River
Black-Rocky Watershed
* Black River
* Rocky River
Blanchard Watershed
* Blanchard River
Cedar-Portage Watershed
* Cedar Creek
* Crane Creek
* Packer Creek
* Portage River
* Rusha Creek
* Toussaint River
* Turtle Creek
Chautauqua-Conneaut Watershed
* Conneaut Creek
Cuyahoga Watershed
* Cuyahoga River
Grand Watershed
* Grand River
Huron-Vermilion Watershed
* Huron River
* Vermilion River
Maumee Watershed
* Bad Creek
* Beaver Creek
* Brush Creek
* Maumee River
* Swan Creek
* Tenmile Creek
* Tiffin River becomes Bean Creek in northern Ohio and Michigan
* Turkeyfoot Creek
Ottawa-Stony Watershed
* Ottawa River
Sandusky Watershed
* Sandusky River

Pennsylvania

Ashtabula-Chagrin Watershed
* Ashtabula River
Chautauqua-Conneaut Watershed
* Conneaut Creek
* Turkey Creek
Lake Erie Watershed

Ontario

Grand River Watershed is the largest drainage in southern Ontario at 2,600 sq mi
* Grand River
** Conestogo River
** Eramosa River
** Nith River
** Speed River
Nanticoke Creek (Ontario)
Big Creek
Big Otter Creek

Economy

Agricultural, industrial, and residential land use are the primary nonpoint sources of pollution in the Lake Erie Basin. National and state environmental agencies, as well as interstate and binational cooperative efforts, focus on water quality, especially since the freshwater lake is used extensively for drinking water, recreation, and the fishing industry. Habitat and flow alteration cause siltation and sedimentation issues which can require dredging. Fertilizer runoff from farms and residences and unplanned releases from sewage treatment plants promote eutrophication through nutrient and organic enrichment, bacterial contamination, and the appearance of ammonium hydroxide. Industrial land use adds metals that flow into the basin and cause sediment contamination.

Overall

Indiana

See Map of Ohio's Principal Streams and Drainage Areas, including a small but important extension of waterway mapping across Ohio's Lake Erie Basin borders into the states of Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania

Michigan

See Map of Ohio's Principal Streams and Drainage Areas, including a small but important extension of waterway mapping across Ohio's Lake Erie Basin borders into the states of Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania

New York

Ohio

Pennsylvania

See Map of Ohio's Principal Streams and Drainage Areas, including a small but important extension of waterway mapping across Ohio's Lake Erie Basin borders into the states of Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania
Samuel Bates'