EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
PERRYSVILLE — Pleasant Hill Lake is located on the Richland-Ashland County line, approximately 2 miles southwest of Perrysville. The boat ramp and marina are on Covert Road off State Route 95.
The marina is north of the Mohican State Park.
RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy operates and maintains the recreational facilities located on the north side of the reservoir. A beach, vacation cottages, marina, campground, parking area, picnic area, sanitary facilities, and boat ramp are located on the northern shore of the reservoir. The marina has a concession stand and gasoline dock.
The Mohican State Park is located on the southern shore of the reservoir and provides numerous recreational opportunities on and around the Pleasant Hill Reservoir. Mohican State Park operates a lodge overlooking the southern shore in the bend of the reservoir.
There is both primitive and improved camping in the state park, south of the reservoir, on the Clear Fork River. For information of Mohican State Park facilities, contact 419/994-4290. The reservoir is also open to waterfowl hunting during the fall.
Check for water quality advisories: http://publicapps.odh.ohio.gov/beachguardpublic/
HISTORY
The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) owns Pleasant Hill Lake. The lake was constructed in 1938 by damming the Clear Fork Branch of the Mohican River. The lake was originally constructed primarily for flood control in the Muskingum River watershed.
Today, recreation is one of the biggest public benefits. The ODNR Division of Wildlife manages the lake under agreement to provide public fishing and hunting.
The Clear Fork River empties into the western end of the lake. This western end of the lake is shallow with most of the area under less than 10 feet of water. The middle section of the lake gradually slopes to a depth of 20 feet. At that point the lake makes a sharp bend to the south, and the basin changes to a steep-sided, deep, gorge-shape with a maximum depth of 35 feet.
The portion of the lake that runs from west to east is shallower and warmer. The bottom of that part of the lake is composed of mud (clay and silt), except along the shorelines where wave action has exposed sand and small gravel. The lower portion of the lake, running north to the south, is deeper, slightly cooler, and has larger boulders along the shoreline.
Vegetation is confined to the shoreline of the western end of the impoundment, and is controlled by water clarity. The transparency of the water varies from about 6 inches in the springtime to 4 feet later in the season, when the sediment has settled.
