The Rocky River in the Cleveland Metroparks' Rocky River Reservation on the boundary of the cities of Cleveland and Rocky River, Ohio

The Rocky River^[1] is a relatively short river which forms the western boundaries of the cities of Cleveland and Lakewood, Ohio. The city of Rocky River, on the west bank bordering Lakewood, is named after the river.

Watershed

The river itself is formed by the confluence of the East and West Branches in North Olmsted at Cedar Point Hill (unrelated to the theme park of the same name north of Sandusky), just west of Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport. The headwaters of the larger West Branch are predominantly located in Medina County, and flows and northward through, among other locales, the town of Olmsted Falls. The East Branch first begins in the Cleveland suburb ofNorth Royalton, near State Rd. and Wallings Rd. Flow here is actually to the south, through Richfield and Hinckley Townships. The East Branch wraps around Whipp's Ledges in Hinckley Township, and begins its north-northwest journey. Hinckley Lake is actually the East Branch Rocky, impounded in the late 1920's/early 1930's. On its course back through southwestern Cuyahoga County, the East Branch is an important local feature in the cities of Strongsville and Berea. The lower portions of both branches and the mainstem Rocky River flow through a V-shaped valley; the valley and the river are part of the Cleveland Metroparks system. The Rocky River valley is heavily forested, and a parkway along the river provides access to many different activities available in the park. Given the heavy population density of Cleveland and its older suburbs, many of which border on the valley, the valley provides a popular location for recreational activities that would be difficult in other parts of the city.

Pollution

Unlike other rivers in Northeast Ohio, the Rocky is largely free from industrial pollution and maintains a rustic character that is surprising, given its proximity to Cleveland and its suburbs. This is because most of its sources are in agricultural and suburban areas, which results in natural organic pollution and sewage, resulting in higher bacteria levels than rivers downstream from industrial discharges.

Crossings and Tributaries

Aerial view from North toward the South of the river mouth at Rocky River, Ohio, USA on Lake Erie. U.S. Route 6 crosses on the Clifton Park-West Lake bridge at the picture's top. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers derrick boat dredges the navigation channel and maintains the breakwater.

From North Mouth upstream to South Source:

Crossings and Tributaries of Rocky River (Lake Erie)

ID	Name	GNIS	Coordinates	Elevation	Year Built	Length	Carries
	West Channel Rocky River	[ 1072305]
1800639	Clifton Park-West Lake				1964		U.S. Route 6, Ohio State Route 2, Ohio State Route 254[2]
	Nickel Plate Road						Norfolk Southern Railway
1801074	Detroit Avenue	[ 1073890]			1980		U.S. Route 6A, U.S. Route 20, Ohio State Route 113[2]
							Valley Parkway
1808567					1971		I-90
1830147	Hilliard Avenue				1925		former U.S. Route 20, Cuyahoga County Route 69
							old Valley Parkway ford
							Valley Parkway
							Valley Parkway
1801325	Lorain Road				1935		Ohio State Route 10
	Old Lorain Road
1831623	Puritas Road				1977		Cuyahoga County Route 189
1812831					1970		I-480
1802046	Brookpark Road				1933		Ohio State Route 17
	Abram Creek	[ 1037303]
							Valley Parkway
1830643	Cedar Point Road				1929		Cuyahoga County Route 193
	West Branch Rocky River	[ 1067044]
	East Branch Rocky River	[ 1066697]

See also

• List of Ohio rivers

References

External links

---

Source: Wikipedia | The above article is available under the GNU FDL. | Edit this article