The Scenic Rivers Act provides three categories for river classification: wild, scenic and recreational. Rivers are classified and designated based on a number of criteria, including the stream's length, adjacent forest cover, biological characteristics, water quality, present use and natural conditions.

With the sprawl of development in Northeast Ohio, it's amazing to find segments of rivers that qualify for wild or scenic designation. Here are the ones that still retain much of their pristine quality:

• Ashtabula River — Designated Scenic on Oct. 30, 2008. Miles designated: 46 continuous designated river miles on three stream segments, including the mainstem, East Branch and West Branch.
• Chagrin River — Designated Scenic on July 2, 1979; designation extended on November 10, 2002. Miles designated: approximately 71, including Aurora Branch from St. Rt. 82 bridge downstream to confluence with Chagrin, Chagrin River from confluence with Aurora Branch downstream to St. Rt. 6 bridge, and East Branch from Heath Road bridge downstream to confluence with Chagrin. Designation extended to include its headwaters in Geauga County downstream through Chagrin Falls to Bentleyville.
• Conneaut Creek — This is the latest river recognized, having been designated Wild and Scenic on October 6, 2005. Miles designated: 21 miles Scenic from the Ohio-Pennsylvania border to Penn Central Railroad bridge in Conneaut, and 16.4 miles also designated Wild from the state line to Creek Road bridge crossing.
• Grand River — Designated Wild and Scenic on January 17, 1974. Miles designated: approximately 33 Scenic and 23 Wild. Wild segment is from Harpersfield covered bridge downstream to Norfolk and Western Railroad trestle south of Painesville. Scenic segment is from St. Rt. 322 bridge in Ashtabula County downstream to Harpersfield covered bridge.
• Upper Cuyahoga River — Designated Scenic on June 26, 1974. Miles designated: approximately 25, from Troy-Burton Township line in Geauga County to US Rt. 14.

Ohio pioneered the river preservation movement in 1968 with the passage of the nation's first scenic rivers act. This legislation created a state program to protect Ohio's remaining high quality streams for future generations.

River corridors are narrow natural areas only a few hundred feet wide and many miles long which are dynamic, linear natural systems. The interface of terrestrial (land) and aquatic (water) ecosystems produces an abundance of diverse plant and animal communities.

Scenic rivers retain most of their natural characteristics at a time when many rivers reflect the negative impacts of human activities.

Restoration of streamside forests is the single most important ingredient in maintaining the health of streams and rivers. The removal of forested corridors along waterways increases erosion, runoff and sedimentation, resulting in the degradation of water quality and the reduction of the natural diversity of aquatic communities.

For more information about State Scenic Rivers in Ohio, see the Ohio Department of Natural Resources site from which this page of information was drawn.

Resources
Fishes of Ohio's scenic rivers