GEOLOGY

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There's more to the river than meets the eye. The Ohio River is part of a watershed, or the land that drains into a river. Rain and snow flow through the land and into the streams that feed the Ohio River.

The Ohio River is also part of a much larger system of rivers in North America. It connects the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers on the east to the Mississippi River on the west. 

One of the first things you might notice about the river is the color. While brown might be a surprising–and maybe concerning–color to see, it’s actually very normal! 

The bottom of the river is made up of sand, clay, and rocks. The Ohio River gets its brown color from the sediment–or tiny particles of those materials–that’s mingling with the water. You might notice a browner color in the days after heavy rainfall. That’s because the increase of water causes the river to move more quickly.