Chagrin River

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Chagrin River (Shagarin or "clear water")
Country United States
State Ohio
Discharge at Eastlake, OH
Source Bass Lake, Ohio
 - location Munson Township, Northeast Ohio
Mouth Chagrin Harbor
 - location Eastlake, Lake County, OH

The Chagrin River is located in northeast Ohio. The river has two branches, the Aurora Branch and East Branch. Its name stems from what the local Erie Indians used to call it, the "Sha-ga-rin," or "Clear Water".[1] Given the clear flowing nature of especially the East Branch of the river, this name is is appropriate. Another hypothesis attributes the name of the river to a corruption and Anglicization of the name of a French trader, Sieur de Saguin.[2] [3] The Chagrin River runs through suburban areas of Greater Cleveland in Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Portage counties, transects two Cleveland Metroparks reservations, and then meanders into nearby Lake County before emptying into Lake Erie.

The East Branch begins in Geauga County, flows north then west through Lake County, largely in Kirtland, and Kirtland Hills, In these communities the East Branch transects the Holden Arboretum, before intersecting the main in Willoughby.

The Chagrin River was designated as a State Scenic River in 1979.

Contents

[edit] Natural history

Along its banks and tributaries Berea sandstone, Bedford shale, Cleveland shale, and Chagrin shale bedrock, are exposed in layers. The river itself was cut through the Allegheny Plateau as glaciers receded in the area at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation.

The lowest visible bedrock is Chagrin shale. Named for the river itself and easily found in the river valley. Chagrin shale, is blue gray in color, an offshore alluvial, silt shale of the Devonian period. This layer is found below about 800 feet msl.

The next layer is Cleveland shale. This is a black shale that is an important source of local fossils. Cleveland Shale is found in the Chagrin River valley between 800 and 900 feet msl.

Bedford Shale is found above the Cleveland Shale layer. This material marks the uncertain transition between the Devonian and Pennsylvanian periods in the region and is also an important source of local fossils. This layer is found in the ravines that carry tributaries of the Chagrin River . Bedford shale is a sand shale and is characterized by its’ roughly 90° cleavage pattern. Pieces of Bedford shale can look as if they were cut by human hands and are found up to about 950 feet msl.

Berea sandstone is found from around 950 feet msl to roughly 1070 feet msl. Berea sandstone, is an important local building material. In the nineteenth century it was quarried from the base of Gildersleeve mountain (in the East Branch watershed). This material was used to build Kirtland Temple and other local structures. Berea sandstone is still used as a local building material

According to the Ohio Department of National Resources, more than 49 species of fish and 90 bird species live in the Chagrin River watershed, including the American brook lamprey, which is relatively rare in Ohio.

[edit] Sporting

The Aurora branch of the Chagrin River is a class III-IV of white water, according to the American Whitewater Association. On the other hand, the Daniel's Park section is rated a class I.

ESPN Outdoors recommends the Chagrin River for fishing[4], especially for finding steelhead fish. The Daniels Park Dam, a small lowhead dam, was their favorite spot. On December 31, 2004, the Daniels Park Dam failed due to excess pressure from ice and water.[5]

[edit] Channelization

In 2007, in violation of both state law and Federal Regulations, the 8,700 feet of the East Branch of the river was channelized and diked to prevent flooding on agricultural land owned by Kirtland Hills Village. This activity was conducted by a prominent local developer who leases the land from the village. Both the village and the developer have been cited for this illegal activity.[6] This activity both threatened the riparian floodplain in the area of disruption, and increases the likelihood and severity of flooding in downstream the communities of Willoughby and Eastlake. As of September 2007, a plan was being developed to restore the East Branch to its original condition, and further action against the cited parties is being considered.[6]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Chagrin State Scenic River, Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Accessed 2007-09-08.
  2. ^ "Chagrin River." The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. July 10 1997. Accessed February 92007.
  3. ^ "Chagrin Falls, an Ohio Village History", ISBN 0975305107, pub. 2005 by The Chagrin Falls Historical Society
  4. ^ Landahl, Dave. Chagrin River's dams are best for metalheads, Fishing and Hunting News, 2003
  5. ^ Frischkorn, Jeffrey. "Dam Breaks", Willoughby News-Herald, 2005-01-03.
  6. ^ a b O'Donnell, Patrick. EPA cites Jerome Osborne in Chagrin River dredging Cleveland Plain Dealer, 2007-09-01.

[edit] External links

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