Cincinnati Mill Creek: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

The Mill Creek is a stream in southwest Ohio. It flows 26 miles southwest and south from its headwaters in Union Township of Butler County through central Hamilton County and the heart of Cincinnati, Ohio into the Ohio River just west of downtown.

The stream, its water power and valley, were important to the development of Cincinnati. Then, for a time, the steep hillsides that surround it limited expansion, and gave impetus to the free growth of surrounding communities that were over that barrier. Finally, inclined railed lifts solved the problem, before trucks and automobiles eliminated it.

Pollution Problem

Over a half million people live in its drainage basin. Canalization, by the Army Corp of Engineers has added to sewage and run off problem caused by intense urbanization. Industrial plants line its banks, including Proctor and Gamble, Formica, and the Ford Motor Company. Its drainage comes from over 30 governments (towns, cities, and townships), and includes five superfund sites. Studies and efforts are underway to clean it up, but little progress has been made.