CRWP The Watershed

The Chagrin River drains approximately 267 square miles. The Main Branch of the Chagrin River begins as the Upper Main Branch above Bass Lake in Munson Township and flows 48 miles before entering Lake Erie in the City of Eastlake. Along its path, the Main Branch is joined by the River’s other branches - the Aurora Branch, flowing from the City of Aurora and meeting the Main Branch in the Village of Bentleyville, and the East Branch, beginning in Geauga County and joining the Main Branch in the City of Willoughby.

On a map from 1755, the Chagrin River was labeled as the Elk River. The name “Chagrin” has been claimed to come from two different sources. One source claims that the river was named the Shaguin to memorialize a French trader named Sieur de Saguin. Another hypothesis is that the Chagrin comes form the Indian word “shagrin” meaning “clear water”. Regardless of the origin of the name, it was anglicized in 1797 on a map of the Western Reserve prepared by Seth Pease to read “Chagrin River” and the name has since remained. Land use has been changing in the Chagrin River valley since the settlers first arrived in the 1700’s. These families cleared forests and drained wetlands to build farms and villages. The Chagrin River, particularly in the area of Chagrin Falls, was used for mills in these early days as well. In spite of massive clearing and continued farming, residential, commercial and industrial development, the Chagrin River has maintained high water quality and natural beauty.

While many of the watersheds’ wetlands have been drained, filled, and converted to urban or agricultural uses, significant wetland areas also remain in the Chagrin River’s headwaters and throughout its watershed. Approximately 80 percent of historic wetlands have been filled or drained in the Chagrin River watershed. While this wetland loss occurred throughout the watershed, much of it is due to the draining and filling of coastal wetlands in Lake County along the Lake Erie shore. The remaining wetlands provide a variety of functions including flood flow attenuation, important wildlife habitat, and sediment retention.

Several sections of the river are designated by Ohio EPA as exceptional warm water habitat or cold water habitat. Portions of McFarland Creek have stream segments designated as exceptional warmwater habitat. Griswold Creek, Willey Creek, Beaver Creek, East Branch and tributaries, Linton Creek, Silver Creek, and several unnamed tributaries that support Ohio Brook Trout populations are designated as coldwater habitat streams. Other segments of the Chagrin River and tributaries have a warmwater habitat use designation. The mainstem below Daniels Park is classified as a Seasonal Salmonid stream.

Seventy-one miles of the Chagrin River have been designated as a State Scenic River. The original designation of 49 miles includes the Aurora Branch from S.R. 82, 12 miles downstream to its confluence with the main stem of the Chagrin, 23 miles of the main stem from its confluence with the Aurora Branch downstream to US Rt. 6, and 15 miles of the East Branch from Heath Road Bridge downstream to its confluence with the main stem was made in 1979. The river’s Scenic designation was extended in November 2002 to include the headwaters of the Chagrin, also known as the Upper Chagrin. The new 22-mile designation runs from the Woodiebrook Road bridge continuing downstream to the confluence with the Aurora Branch of the Chagrin River in Bentleyville. Scenic designated reaches of the river are characterized by exceptional aquatic habitat and adjacent high quality forests.

Virtually all residents of the Chagrin River watershed in Geauga and Portage Counties are dependent on groundwater for their drinking water. Marginal groundwater supplies are available from localized unconsolidated glacial deposits and from bedrock units. Larger supplies are available from areas underlain by the Sharon Conglomerate. Very large supplies are available from extensive sand and gravel deposits contained in the buried valleys which crisscross the watershed.