| Maumee River | |
|---|---|
 The Maumee River atGrand Rapids, Ohio | |
 Map of the Maumee Riverwatershed | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | Indiana,Ohio |
| Cities and towns | Fort Wayne, Indiana;New Haven, Indiana;Antwerp, Ohio;Cecil, Ohio;Defiance, Ohio;Florida, Ohio;Napoleon, Ohio;Grand Rapids, Ohio;Waterville, Ohio;Maumee, Ohio;Perrysburg, Ohio;Rossford, Ohio;Toledo, Ohio;Oregon, Ohio |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Fort Wayne by the confluence of theSt. Joseph andSt. Marys |
| • coordinates | 41°04′58″N85°07′56″W / 41.0827778°N 85.1322222°W /41.0827778; -85.1322222 (Maumee River origin) |
| • elevation | 750 ft (230 m) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Lake Erie atToledo |
• coordinates | 41°41′58″N83°27′36″W / 41.6994444°N 83.46°W /41.6994444; -83.46 (Maumee River mouth) |
• elevation | 571 ft (174 m) |
| Length | 137 miles (220 km) |
| Basin size | 6,354 sq mi (16,460 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 5,297 cu ft/s (150.0 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Northeast |
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TheMaumee River (pronounced/mɔːˈmiː/)[1] (Shawnee:Hotaawathiipi;[2]Miami-Illinois:Taawaawa siipiiwi)[3] is ariver running in theUnited States Midwest from northeasternIndiana into northwesternOhio andLake Erie. It is formed at the confluence of theSt. Joseph andSt. Marys rivers, whereFort Wayne, Indiana has developed, and meanders northeastwardly for 137 miles (220 km)[4] through anagricultural region ofglacial moraines before flowing into theMaumee Bay of Lake Erie. The city ofToledo is located at the mouth of the Maumee. The Maumee was designated an Ohio State Scenic River on July 18, 1974. The Maumee watershed is Ohio's breadbasket; it is two-thirds farmland, mostly corn and soybeans. It is the largest watershed of any of the rivers feeding the Great Lakes,[5] and supplies five percent of Lake Erie's water.[6]
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Historically the river was also known as theMiami in United States treaties withNative Americans. As early as 1671, French colonists called the riverMiami du Lac 'Miami of the Lake' (in contrast to theMiami of the Ohio or theGreat Miami River, calledAhsenisiipi in theMiami-Illinois language).Maumee is ananglicized spelling of theOttawa or Odawa name for theMiami tribe,Maamii. The Odawa had a village at the mouth of the Maumee River and occupied other territory in northwestern Ohio, including along its tributary, the Blanchard River.[7]
TheBattle of Fallen Timbers, the final battle of theNorthwest Indian War, was fought3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) north of the banks of the Maumee River. After this decisive victory for GeneralAnthony Wayne, in 1795 Native Americans ceded atwelve-mile square tract aroundPerrysburg andMaumee to the United States by theTreaty of Greenville.[8] They ceded additional lands, north of the river and downstream of Defiance, in the 1807Treaty of Detroit.[9] They ceded the remainder of the Maumee River valley in the 1817Treaty of Fort Meigs.[10]
Prior to the development ofcanals,portages between the rivers were important trade routes. U.S. forces builtforts such asFort Loramie,Fort Recovery, andFort Defiance along these routes. In honor of General Wayne's victory on the banks of the Maumee, the primary bridge crossing the river near downtown Toledo is named the Anthony Wayne Suspension Bridge.
A dispute over control of part of the Maumee River region led to the so-calledToledo War between Ohio and theMichigan Territory.
Agricultural practices along the Maumee River have contributed in the 21st century to highphosphate levels in Lake Erie. This has triggeredalgae blooms in the lake.[6] The drinking water from the city of Toledo was made unsafe for consumption for nearly a week in August 2014 because of such algae blooms.[11]
The Maumee River watershed was once part of theGreat Black Swamp, a remnant ofGlacial Lake Maumee, theproglacial ancestor of Lake Erie. The 1,500-square-mile (3,900 km2) swamp was a vast network of forests, wetlands, and grasslands, a rich habitat for numerous species of birds, mammals, fish and flora. During the 19th century, European-American settlers struggled to drain the swamp and to convert the land to farmland; they dramatically altered the habitat, reducing areas where species could flourish.
The mouth of the river at Toledo and Lake Erie is wide and supports considerable commercial traffic, includingoil,grain, andcoal. About 12 miles (19 km) upstream, in the town of Perrysburg, Ohio, the river becomes much shallower and today supports only recreational navigation above that point. TheMiami and Erie Canal was built parallel to and north of the Maumee between Toledo and Defiance, Ohio, to enable extended transportation of shipped goods. The canal entered the river at a "slackwater" created by Independence Dam. It exited the river at Defiance and was built to the south, ending atCincinnati, Ohio. While abandoned for commercial use, portions of the canal'stowpath are maintained for recreational use in both Lucas and Henry counties. A restored section of canal, including a canal lock, is operated atProvidence Metropark, where visitors can ride an authentic canal boat.
TheWabash and Erie Canal was constructed on the south side of the river, continuing southwest from Defiance to Fort Wayne, Indiana, crossing the "summit" to theWabash River valley (in Miami-Illinois the Wabash River was known asWaapaahšiki siipiiwi). Both canals were important pre-railway transportation methods in the 1840–60 period.
The Maumee has the largestwatershed of anyGreat Lakes river,[5] with 8,316 square miles (21,540 km2). This area includes a portion of southernMichigan. In addition to its sourcetributaries – theSt. Joseph River (in Miami-Illinois:Kociihsasiipi) andSt. Marys (in Miami-Illinois:Nameewa siipiiwi), the Maumee's principal tributaries are theAuglaize River and theTiffin River, which join it at Defiance from the south and north, respectively.
Due to environmental contamination, a portion of the river was designated aGreat Lakes Area of Concern (AOC) under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1987. The Maumee covers 8,316 square miles and has the largest drainage area of any Great Lakes river.[12] The Maumee AOC is contained within 775 square miles of the river and includes several creeks.[13] The environmental problems were caused by sediment contamination and agricultural runoff. The runoff caused large amounts ofphosphorus to enter the river, eventually leading to manmadeeutrophication in Lake Erie.[12] Sediments at the site contained high levels ofpolychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) andheavy metals, which came from old dumps, contaminated industrial sites,combined sewer overflows and disposal ofdredged materials.[12]
A 2006 remedial action plan for the AOC identified 10 "beneficial use impairments" caused by the pollution:
There are several small islands in the section of the Maumee River in northwest Ohio. The names of the islands are:[16]
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the annualwalleye run up the Maumee River is one of the largest migrations of riverbound walleye east of the Mississippi. Themigration of the walleye normally starts in early March and runs through the end of April. Although the first week of April is "historically" the peak of the migration, it varies according to environmental conditions. When river flows rise due to snow melt-off and the river water temperature reaches 40 to 50 °F (4 to 10 °C), the migration begins. Walleye come to spawn from the western end ofLake Erie and theDetroit River andLake St. Clair in Michigan. The most popular method of fishing for the migrating walleye is by wading out into the river and casting.
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