Modeling Flow and Water Quality in Reservoir and River Reaches of the Mahoning River Basin, Ohio

Abstract

Flow and water-quality models were constructed for Berlin Lake, Lake Milton, Michael J Kirwan Reservoir, Mosquito Creek Lake, and the Mahoning River from the dams downstream to Lowellville, Ohio. Models were calibrated for two historic years in which adequate data was available; the years varied between waterbodies. A whole-basin model was constructed for year 2013. That model was used to examine the effects of altered lake water surface elevations on water quality in the lakes, the lake outflows and the Mahoning River. The altered lake elevations were based on reservoir operations models and were provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.