Wills Creek (Ohio) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wills Creek |
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Wills Creek near its mouth, flowing from Wills Creek Dam
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| Country | U.S. |
| Physical characteristics | |
| River mouth | Muskingum River on the border of Muskingum and Coshocton counties 715 ft (218 m) |
| Length | 92.2 mi (148.4 km) |
| Discharge (location 2) |
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| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 853 sq mi (2,210 km2) |
| Tributaries |
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Wills Creek is a long waterway in eastern Ohio, United States. It is about 92.2 miles (148.4 kilometers) long. Wills Creek is a tributary, which means it's a smaller stream that flows into a larger one. In this case, it flows into the Muskingum River.
The Muskingum River then joins the Ohio River, and the Ohio River eventually flows into the mighty Mississippi River. This means that Wills Creek is part of the huge watershed (or drainage basin) of the Mississippi River. A watershed is all the land where water drains into a particular river or lake. Wills Creek helps drain an area of about 853 square miles (2,209 square kilometers).
The official name "Wills Creek" was chosen in 1963 by the United States Board on Geographic Names. In the past, people also called it "Cou-wach-en-ink" or "Will's Creek."
Where Wills Creek Flows
Wills Creek begins in southern Guernsey County, Ohio. It forms when several smaller streams come together near a place called Pleasant City.
The creek first flows north through towns like Byesville, Cambridge, and Kimbolton. Near Kimbolton, it changes direction and starts flowing west. It then travels through parts of southeastern Coshocton and northeastern Muskingum Counties.
Wills Creek passes by Plainfield before reaching its end. It empties into the Muskingum River about 8 miles (13 kilometers) south of the city of Coshocton.
Wills Creek Lake
Near where Wills Creek meets the Muskingum River, there is a special dam. This dam was built to help control floods. Because of the dam, the creek widens and forms a body of water called Wills Creek Lake.
The Big Flood of 2005
On January 16, 2005, something unusual happened at the Wills Creek Dam 40°09′22″N 81°50′51″W / 40.15611°N 81.84750°W. It was the first time in the history of the Army Corps of Engineers Huntington District (which started in 1938) that the dam's spillway overflowed. A spillway is like a safety valve for a dam, letting extra water out when the lake gets too full.
On that day, Wills Creek Lake was 37 feet (11 meters) higher than its normal level. It reached 749 feet (228 meters) above sea level. This made it the largest man-made lake in the state of Ohio at the time, covering about 20,452 acres (82.77 square kilometers).
What Caused the Flood?
This huge flood happened because of a lot of rain. Between January 4 and 14, 2005, about 5 to 8 inches (13 to 20 centimeters) of rain fell across Central Indiana and Ohio.
This heavy rain, combined with melting snow and ground that was already soaked with water, caused record amounts of water to run into the rivers and lakes. Many other reservoirs (man-made lakes) in the Huntington District also reached their highest water levels ever during this time. These included:
- Alum Creek
- Deer Creek
- Delaware Lake
- Paint Creek
- Atwood Lake
- Bolivar Dam
- Charles Mill Lake
- Dillon Lake
- Dover Dam
- Mohawk Dam
