Bokes Creek Watershed

Sources differ as to how Bokes Creek is said to have obtained its name. Originally, the creek was called “Bogy Creek”, but the name has changed over time to better fit the English language. One source, History of Logan County and Ohio by: O.L. Baskin, says that the name is derived from a Native American word “bogue”, meaning lost, after a Native American man was lost in the channel or even that a white settler with the last name Bogy was lost near the creek. Another source, History of Delaware County also by: O.L. Baskin, says that the creek was named after a Native American chief of the Wyandot nation.

F.A.Q.

• The creek itself is 39.7 miles long.

• The creek starts in Logan County and winds eastward across Union and Delaware Counties until depositing its waters into the Scioto River.

• 84.2 square miles of land drains into Bokes Creek.

• Of that land, more than 80% is used for agriculture.

• There are 8 tributaries that flow into Bokes Creek: Brush Run, East Fork West Mansfield Tributary, North Fork West Mansfield Tributary, Powederlick Run, Smith Run, South Branch West Fork West Mansfiled Tributary, Tributary to Powederlick Run, West Fork West Mansfield Tributary.

Use the map below to explore the area located within the Bokes Creek Watershed!

Why is Bokes Creek Polluted?

• High nutrient levels occur when rain or melting snow wash fertilizers, pesticides, animal waste, and more into Bokes Creek.

• Excessive amounts of the nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen case massive algal blooms to form. As the algae naturally decays, oxygen that is necessary for the survival of the aquatic life is depleted. This results in low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water.

• Sedimentation occurs when large amounts of sand, silt, and clay are washed into Bokes Creek. Livestock access to streambanks, erosion, and more contribute to sedimentation.

• Degraded habitat includes removal of streamside vegetation, stream channelization, dredging, etc...

Water Quality of Bokes Creek

Community Planning Efforts

• Bokes/Mill Creek Watersheds Partnership
• Bokes/Mill Creek Watersheds Inventory and Action Plan (2003)

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency

• Bokes Creek Water Quality Enhancement Project (2003)
• Bokes Creek TMDL (2002)
  • Apendix B, C, D, E
• Bokes Creek Infographic
• Biological and Water Quality Survey of Mill Creek and Selected Tributaries and Bokes Creek (Logan, Union, and Delaware Counties) (1990)
• Biological and Habitat Study of Bokes Creek: Union and Delaware Counties, Ohio (1994)
• Biological and Water Quality Study of Bokes Creek and Selected Tributaries (Logan, Union, and Delaware Counties (1999)
• Biological and Water Quality Study of the Bokes Creek Basin (Logan, Union, and Delaware Counties) (2013)
• Study Plan for the Bokes Creek Watershed (2013)

The Ohio State University

• Scioto River & Mill, Bokes, Fulton Creek Watershed: Consequences of Watershed Growth Over Time

Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission

• Upper Scioto Watershed Planning Partnership: Balanced Growth Plan (2012)

United States Geological Survey

• USGS monitoring station at Bokes Creek (May 1982-1997)