Watersheds

What is a Watershed?

A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place. Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes. They cross county, state, and national boundaries.

Cleveland Heights Examples

Three watersheds are located in Cleveland Heights: the Doan Brook, the Dugway Brook and Nine Mile Creek. Get involved and learn more about your watersheds!

The Doan Brook Watershed Partnership is a collective of interested citizens, businesses, non-profit organizations and local Northeast Ohio city governments, whose mission is to protect and restore the health of the Doan Brook and its urban watershed, as well as engage the community in stewardship and conservation of the Brook.

Most of the Dugway Brook has been culverted, meaning that it flows underground through pipes. This was done years ago to make more room for urban development, including roads, houses, and parking lots. Approximately 94% of the watershed has been developed. However, Dugway Brook still exists as an open channel in Forest Hill Park, and in Lake View Cemetery and in Bratenahl before flowing into Lake Erie.

Nine Mile Creek is so named because its outflow into Lake Erie at Bratenahl is nine miles from Cleveland's Public Square. Only small areas of Nine Mile Creek is open water. The creek is buried underground from its headwaters near Cedar Road in University Heights to a channelized run north of Monticello and west of Belvoir Boulevard. The creek flows as an open stream again as it reaches its north end at Bratenahl.