What Are the Major Bodies of Water in Ohio?
Wildernet points out that Ohio’s major bodies of water are the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Over 44,000 miles of Ohio’s waterways empty into either the southern portion of the Ohio River or northern Lake Erie.
According to the Ohio River Foundation, the Ohio River is 981 miles long, which makes it the second longest river in the United States. It begins where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet in Pittsburgh, Pa., and from there it flows southwest into the Mississippi River in Cairo, Ill. Ohio, Indiana and Illinois border the Ohio River to the south, and West Virginia and Kentucky are located on its northern border. The river’s basin covers seven states and is made up of several tributaries, such as the Wabash, Muskingum, Miami, Cumberland and Green. Lake Erie is located in northern Ohio at 569 feet above sea level. The lake is the fourth largest Great Lake that stretches over an area of 9,910 square miles. Less than half of Lake Erie is located in the United States; the other half is in Canada. The lake is 241 miles long and has a maximum width of 57 miles. Lake Erie’s average depth is less than 60 feet, which makes it the most shallow of the Great Lakes.
