Wills Creek is a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the

Muskingum River The Muskingum River ( ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country of Ohio ...

, 92.2 mi (148.4 km) long, in eastern

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Via the Muskingum and

Rivers, it is part of the

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. It drains an area of 853 mi² (2,209 km²).Ohio Department of Natural Resources
''A Guide to Ohio Streams.''Chapter 10: Major Ohio Watersheds (pdf)
The

United States Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a Federal government of the United States, federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geogr ...

settled on "Wills Creek" as the stream's name in 1963. According to the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and location information about more than two million physical and cultural features, encompassing the United States and its territories; the Compact of Free Association, asso ...

, it has also been known historically as "Cou-wach-en-ink" and as "Will's Creek." Wills Creek is formed by a confluence of short forks near Pleasant City in southern Guernsey County, and initially flows northwardly through Byesville,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

and Kimbolton. Near Kimbolton it turns westwardly and flows through southeastern Coshocton and northeastern Muskingum Counties, past Plainfield, to its mouth at the Muskingum River,

DeLorme DeLorme Publishing Company is a producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company's main product, ''inReach'', integrates GPS and satellite technologies. ''inReach'' provides the ability to send and rec ...

(1991). ''Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 8 mi (13 km) south of the city of Coshocton. Near its mouth, a flood-control

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

causes the creek to form Wills Creek Lake.

2005 flood

On January 16, 2005, the Wills Creek Dam became the only dam in the Army Corps of Engineers Huntington District's history (established 1938) to reach its spillway elevation and have water flow uncontrolled over the top of the spillway. On that day Wills Creek Lake was above its normal level of (above sea level), and spanned , causing it to be the largest man-made lake in the state of Ohio. This extreme event was caused by an average of of rain falling over Central Indiana and Ohio during January 4–14, 2005. This rain combined with snow melt and saturated ground to produce record breaking runoff. Other reservoirs in the Huntington District also set pool level records, including Alum Creek, Deer Creek, Delaware Lake, Paint Creek,

Atwood Lake Atwood Lake is a reservoir located in Tuscarawas and Carroll counties in east central Ohio. The lake is formed by Atwood Dam across Indian Fork, a tributary of Conotton Creek. The lake is named for the community of Atwood which was purchased ...

, Bolivar Dam,

Charles Mill Lake Charles Mill is a reservoir located in central Ohio near the junction of State Routes 430 and 603. Charles Mill Lake is a quiet and enjoyable place for boating, camping, fishing, hunting, or hiking. The lake is located in both Richland County (ne ...

Dillon Lake Dillon Lake is a reservoir in Muskingum County, Ohio Muskingum County ( ) is a county located in the east-central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,410. Its county seat is Zanesville. Nearly bi ...

, Dover Dam and

Mohawk Dam Mohawk Dam, located in Jefferson Township, Coshocton County, Ohio northwest of Nellie, is a dry dam constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in the mid-1930s for the purpose of flood control on the Walhonding River. The d ...

References

{{Authority control Wills Creek Muskingum River Rivers of Coshocton County, Ohio Rivers of Guernsey County, Ohio Rivers of Muskingum County, Ohio Wills Creek Lake Wills Creek Dam Wills Creek Lake United States Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District

2005 flood

See also

References