Blacklick Creek (Ohio)

Blacklick Creek

Blacklick Creek in the Three Creeks Metro Park
Origin ~ 4 mi (6.4 km) southwest of Johnstown
Mouth Big Walnut Creek near Obetz, Ohio
Length 27 mi (43 km)
Source elevation ~ 1,190 ft (363 m) [1]
Mouth elevation ~ 715 ft (218 m) [2]
Basin area 63 mi² (163 km²) [3]

Blacklick Creek is a tributary stream of Big Walnut Creek in Ohio, flowing through Licking, Fairfield and Franklin counties. The creek's name was originally given by Native Americans, who had noticed the animals that frequented the creek to lick its black-colored salt stones. It has also been known as Black Lick Creek, Black Lick Fork, Blacks Lick Creek, and Big Lick Creek.[4]

The 27 mile long rock and slate bed creek has its headwaters near Mink Street in Jersey Township, in northwestern Licking County.[1] It enters Franklin County in northeast Plain Township and then flows near the Licking-Franklin County border. The stream enters Fairfield County in southwest Reynoldsburg, and then re-enters Franklin County near Brice. The stream meets Big Walnut Creek in Columbus, near Hamilton Road.

Blacklick Creek topped a levee on September 14, 1979, due to heavy rains from Hurricane Frederic. The creek flooded the Municipal Building in Reynoldsburg, and three hundred homes in Blacklick Estates.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey. Jersey quadrangle, Ohio. 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series. Washington D.C.: USGS, 1988.
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. Southeast Columbus quadrangle, Ohio. 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series. Washington D.C.: USGS, 1992.
  3. ^ "Map of Ohio watersheds". http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/water/watersheds/Basins72PDI_40x40_OnScreen.gif. 
  4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Blacklick Creek
  5. ^ Schmidlin, Thomas W.; Schmidlin, Jeanne Appelhans (1996), Thunder in the Heartland: A Chronicle of Outstanding Weather Events in Ohio, Kent State University Press, p. 219, ISBN 9780873385497 .