Old Woman Creek, Ohio

Old Woman Creek, Ohio

Tidal Range

The lunar and solar tides are a very minor component in water level fluctuations on Lake Erie, as the tidal amplitude in Lake Erie is approximately 3 cm. However, wind and/or pressure induced water setup can result in seiches that act very much like tides. These oscillations in lake level last about 12-14 hours. The amplitude of wind setup and the resulting seiches is normally less than 0.7 meters in the Old Woman Creek area.

River Flow

The Old Woman Creek estuary, like many of the Great Lakes estuaries, is a storm-driven system. Transient time of water through the estuary ranges from less than 24 hours upwards. During periods of low flow, a barrier sand beach will often close the mouth, isolating the estuary from Lake Erie proper. Water movement through the sand barrier beach is generally very limited.

The geological history of the area has resulted in Old Woman Creek having three different sections, each of which demonstrate different stream characteristics. The upper reaches of the creek flow through the till plain. Here, the creek has an average slope of 0.4percent. The creek has a slope of 2.0percent as it passes through the escarpment. Only in the escarpment, where the creek has excavated a deep channel, is bedrock exposed. The lower reaches of the creek meander through lake plain. Here the slope is 0.12percent Stream erosion is much greater here than in the upper till plain.