Salt Creek Valley 50 years after the proposed dam and reservoir

LONDONDERRY ― Salt Creek Valley is the purest representation of rural Ohio with homes tucked into the dense forest and a patchwork of crops growing on the valley floor, all nestled within the majestic mountains and hills of Londonderry.

The Salt Creek Valley is home to a tight-knit community of farmers and hunters who settled into the valley for its scenic beauty, privacy and fellowship. Fifty years ago, the modest community fought and won a battle for their home.

The proposed dam

In the 1960s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed building a dam and reservoir to flood the Salt Creek Valley. Although the main purpose was to provide flood control, according to Gazette archives from Feb. 24, 1962, researchers believed that the area would benefit economically with the increased water supply and the recreational opportunities created by the project, potentially attracting more than 10,000 fishermen, swimmers and boaters at one time. At the time, one Salt Creek Valley resident described the project as a "playground for Columbus boaters."

The project, to be located just upstream of Londonderry in Ross and Vinton counties, would have forced nearly 500 residents to move, inundated 3,500 acres of active farmland and destroyed a rural way of life in southeastern Ohio.

Surveyors sent to Salt Creek Valley

However, the fight for the valley was not over yet. Just in time, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law on Jan. 1, 1970. The act requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of proposed major federal actions prior to making decisions. This includes the impact on the residents.

In response to NEPA being passed, the corps hired Pennsylvania consulting firm Jack McCormick and Associates to prepare an impact statement for the Salt Creek Dam in 1973. One year later, McCormick Associates and Environmental Scientists Mary Ann Heidemann, Kate Hartnett and Pat McLaren were sent to the valley to survey the Salt Creek residents to include in an Environmental Impact Statement.

The Salt Creek Dam impact statement created by McCormick's team was one of the earliest in the United States. Heidemann and Hartnett were in their 20s.

"We were just kids ... People were so hopping mad about the project that they were shooting at the engineers who were coming out into the field to do some of the background work. So they thought, 'We'll send women so that they won't maybe shoot at them," Heidemann laughed. "I don't know if that was a good thing for feminism, but we were happy to get out of the office for a major assignment."

The women stayed in a local cottage and paid rent by stocking the bird feeders. Although it was winter, their only option for bathing was an outdoor shower. Their living situation meant little to them ― the women were hype focused on contacting every resident of the Salt Creek Valley.

The women aimed to interview all 133 households in the valley. Heidemann said most similar surveys receive between 10 and 50% response rates, but due to their persistent team and residents' interest in keeping their homes, 90% of households responded.

Each of the 120 interviews lasted one to two hours. The women stayed in the valley for one month to conduct interviews, often speaking to three to four households per day. Heidemann said it was difficult to schedule interviews at first because residents were wholly against the dam project. However, once it caught wind in the community that the women were there to listen, more residents became eager to participate.

Survey results

The survey found that 84% of residents gardened, 70% hunted and 36% raised livestock to supplement their income, representing how the valley contributes to residents' way of life and the burden that relocating would have on the community.

Hartnett said the valley is a perfect example of a working landscape with residents hunting, fishing and foraging while "Spending less money and still living well because of all of the resources around them."

The survey states that Salt Creek Valley represents, "a model area in which man and nature exist in productive harmony. It supports a human population, concentrated around the agricultural lands, of about 92 persons per square mile. Part of this population produces enough food to supply several thousand persons per year."

The survey uncovered that close family relationships play a huge role in the community, with many members having close family ties or history to the area. One-third of the residents were raised in the project area. One-third of residents interviewed reported four or more generations of forebearers have resided in the Salt Creek Project Area. Thirty-five percent of households reported visiting relatives within the project area more than once per day.

Heidemann recalls that one man told the surveyors that he felt rich while living in one of the poorest areas of Ohio because of his friends and family living nearby.

Of all the impacts of the potential dam project, the survey deemed uncertainty as one of the largest long-term impacts. Until they heard a decision on the dam project, residents withheld house improvements, young adults were unsure about building homes nearby and the elderly debated where to be buried.

"Both the timing and process are unknown to residents. They cannot be sure just when they may be forced to relocate. Neither do they seem fully aware of the diverse indirect effects relocation may bring to the wide range of valley residents," the survey states. "Most residents in the valley had decided initially or recently to go ahead and live as though the project was not a factor in their lives because they do not know how best to plan for it."

Refused interviews

Of the limited interview refusals, two came from serious illness, seven from absent residents who could not be contacted and four because of strong opposition to the project, expressed non-cooperation for the survey or misunderstanding of the purpose of the survey.

One resident refused because he had cancer and felt the project was, "hounding him on his deathbed," Heidemann said. She said his entire family was "furious" with the survey team.

While examining photos of the Salt Creek area for the final report, Hediemann noticed something odd.

"One of (the photos) showed a church and there were cars parked all around that church. It was unbelievable. I said, 'Did you go out on a Sunday to take these photos?' They said 'No, it wasn't a Sunday. It was a Tuesday,'" Heidemann said. Upon closer inspection, she realized the photo was taken on the day of the man's funeral service.

Heidemann burst into tears. She was upset because "he died before he knew what would become of his land."

Dam project thrown out

In a report submitted by John McCormick & Associates on July 31, 1974, it was suggested that the project was not in the best interest of the public, stating the idea was outdated, insignificant and exorbitantly priced. The project was officially abandoned in 1975.

"The project is more a short-term technological fix than a rational long-term solution, and it would be a liability to future generations of Americans," the report states. "The project would have to create a demand, rather than supply a pressing need."

Additionally, Heidemann said it was projected that within 50 years, "the dam as proposed would likely fill with silt, and the lost space within the reservoir would no longer offer the flood protection and recreational benefits sought."

Returning to the valley

The survey predicted that the continuation of then-current land use trends might lead to suburbanization of the valley and replacement of agriculture with residential use. On the contrary, 50% of residents surveyed said they believed the valley would stay the same over the next 25 years without the dam.

Fifty years later, the surveyors returned to the valley and discovered the residents were correct.

This month, Heidemann and Hartnett reconnected to discuss their time in Londonderry. Although they had to be unbias to perform the job in the 1970s, they now admit to disliking the dam proposal.

Heidemann kept maps of the project proposal and the environmental impact statement, even after moving "a dozen" times because she said she "couldn't bear" to get rid of it. She considered visiting the valley many times in the last 50 years but finally decided to make the trip this year.

On Oct. 3, 2023, Heidemann and Hartnett traveled from Michigan and New Hampshire, respectively, to return to the valley and see the changes.

To their delight, farmland still occupies most of the valley floor. The pair note that the expansion of Tar Hollow State Park and some additional residents were the main differences they witnessed. They also appreciated the paved roads that replaced the gravel roads.

“It was the first time I really felt my work could make a positive difference,” said Hartnett. “The survey let us see the Salt Creek Valley through the eyes of valley residents,” added Heidemann, “and it was a marvelous place, well worth preserving.”

If there are any residents remaining in the area who remember the Salt Creek Farm and Home Survey, the women would love to hear their thoughts, memories and perspectives 50 years after the fact. Contact Mary Ann Heidemann at mamaphd@frontier.com.

Megan Becker is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. Call her at 740-349-1106, email her at mbecker@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @BeckerReporting.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Salt Creek Valley, Londonderry citizens prevent dam and reservoir