HIS​TORY​​

HISTORY

The Fairfield County Common Pleas Court established the Hunter’s Run Conservancy District (HRCD) in March 1952. The primary purpose for forming the HRCD was to act as the local sponsor to implement the Work Plan prepared by the U.S Department of Agriculture – Soil Conservation Service (SCS) for the 49 square mile Hunter’s Run and Upper Hocking watershed located in Fairfield County. The May 1954 Work Plan as amended called for the construction of eight flood control structures and twenty-two gully or sedimentation control structures, to:

• Reduce and retain potential flood waters

• Reduce soil erosion and sediment transport

• Improve local economic conditions

The twenty-nine structures, currently owned and operated by the HRCD, were completed between 1958 and 1960.

PROJECT BENEFITS

The system of twenty-nine dams constructed by the SCS (Now USDA-NRCS), all of which are operated and maintained by the HRCD, provide a number of benefits to property owners in the watershed and to residents of Fairfield County. The primary benefit is that they control the runoff from a large portion of the Hunter’s Run and Upper Hocking River Watershed (31,418 acres) and in doing so reduce the magnitude and frequency of flooding to property and infrastructure. This in turn reduces the inconvenience of road closings, damaged roads and bridges, emergency response to flooded homes and business and clean-up costs. It also reduces the cost to local governments to replace and enlarge bridges.

Local residents can also enjoy the many varied recreational, fishing and hunting opportunities at three dams known as Rockmill Lake Wildlife Area at Dam No. 9 (State owned land), Greenfield Lake Wildlife Area Dam R-63 (State owned land), and Dam No. 4 located on Stonewall Cemetery Road.

The reservoirs store sediment, which reduces the cost of expensive sand bar removal downstream of local streams.

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