Lake Erie

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The Chagrin River drains into Lake Erie in Eastlake, Ohio.  Lake Erie is the source of much of the drinking water in urban and suburban areas of the watershed.  Lake Erie is the smallest of the Great Lakes in volume (119 cubic miles) and is exposed to the greatest effects from urbanization and agriculture.  Measuring 241 miles across and 57 miles from north to south, the lake's surface is just less than 10,000 square miles, with 871 miles of shoreline.  The average depth of Lake Erie is only about 62 feet (210 feet, maximum).  It therefore warms rapidly in the spring and summer, and frequently freezes over in winter.  Because of its fertile soils, the basin is intensively farmed and is the most densely populated of the five Great Lakes basins.

Development decisions are occurring daily that impact flooding, erosion, and water quality in the Lake Erie basin. In Ohio, the planning and regulations governing these decisions are made at the local level. The Chagrin watershed is similar to other watersheds in the Lake Erie basin in that it is a high quality resource threatened by impervious surface and stormwater impacts related to urban and suburban development. This development pressure will continue throughout the region as communities grow and parcels with natural resource constraints, such as steep slopes, riparian areas, and wetlands, are developed.

More information about Lake Erie can be found by clicking on the images below.

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Learn more about Lake Erie
at Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Office of Coastal Management's Lake Erie Literacy