Monongahela Transition Zone

JBH Investments LLC in Lawrence County, Ohio has failed to submit its required discharge monitoring report and is in significant non-compliance with its Clean Water Act permit. Facilities must file these reports quarterly to demonstrate compliance with discharge limits; missing reports are an administrative violation that prevents EPA from verifying whether the facility is meeting its permit conditions.

Caddisflies were observed on 2026-10-01, 2026-09-30, and 2026-09-24 in Athens County. The presence of Little Sister Sedges, Limnephilini, and Pycnopsyche antica indicates pollution-sensitive aquatic insects colonizing available habitat in the watershed's degraded water bodies.

Mahogany Dun mayflies were recorded on 2026-10-01 near The Plains and on 2026-09-17 near Athens, extending the clean-water indicator's presence into October. These brushlegged mayflies require well-oxygenated streams and suggest functional aquatic habitat in the region's observed reaches.

A federally threatened Eastern Crayfish was observed on 2026-10-13 near Nelsonville and Athens County. This Appalachian brook crayfish is a native species whose presence indicates functional headwater habitat in the region's limestone-influenced portions of the watershed.

Multiple salamander species were recorded on October 13 in the Athens area: Northern Dusky Salamander (6 sightings on Cucumbertree Trail alone), Eastern Red-backed Salamander, Southern Two-lined Salamander, Northern Ravine Salamander, and Eastern Newt. Fall rains and cool temperatures trigger above-ground movement for many woodland salamanders during autumn, when they migrate to overwintering sites.

A groundhog was observed on Oxbow Trail on October 14. Fall is the season when groundhogs increase foraging to build fat reserves for hibernation, which typically begins in late October through early November.

A Worm-eating Warbler was reported at The Ridges--Radar Hill Area on 2026-10-07, an unusually late fall record for a species that is extremely rare in fall in northwest Ohio and primarily accidental in October passage.

August 2026 precipitation at Athens County averaged 8.9 inches, 5.2 inches above normal for the month. This was the 2nd wettest August on record for the county since 1895, indicating an exceptionally wet late summer that would support above-normal streamflow and groundwater recharge across the region.

Mahogany dun mayflies were observed twice in September near Athens and The Plains, most recently on 2026-09-17, and giant mayflies on 2026-08-14 and 2026-08-09. These clean-water taxa require well-oxygenated streams and indicate functional aquatic habitat. Late summer through early autumn is the normal emergence window for these species in eastern streams.

The round hickorynut, a federally threatened freshwater mussel listed under the Endangered Species Act, has its range in the Ohio River basin where this ecosystem lies. The species prefers sand and gravel substrates in moderate-flow streams, but the bedrock here is primarily Pennsylvanian shale lacking significant limestone, which limits the dissolved calcium these mussels need to build shells.