Big Darby Creek

Big Darby Creek
Physical characteristics
Mouth
• location	Scioto River, Columbus, Ohio
Length	84 mi (135 km)
Basin size	556.6 sq mi (1,442 km2)
Discharge
• location	Darbydale
• average	498 cu ft/s (14.1 m3/s), USGS water years 1922-2019[1]
Basin features
River system	Lower Scioto River Basin
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System
Type	Scenic
Designated	March 10, 1994

Big Darby Creek is a scenic river located in northwestern central Ohio, and an important tributary to the Lower Scioto River. The river's major tributary is the Little Darby Creek.

The river runs 84 miles (135 km) from its source near the Champaign-Union county line, south-east through Union and Madison Counties. In Franklin County, the river runs through the 7,060 acres (2,860 ha) Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park,^[2] where it meets with the Little Darby Creek.^[3] Directly downstream from the park, the river empties into the Scioto River in Pickaway County at 39°36′50″N 82°57′47″W / 39.613805°N 82.963108°W / 39.613805; -82.963108.

Big Darby Creek is one of the most biologically diverse aquatic systems in the Midwestern United States.^[4] It is the site of the only known population of the Scioto madtom, a fish which is now thought to be extinct.^[5] In addition, for its size the creek "has the greatest diversity of freshwater mussels in North America. Forty species have been reported from the system."^[6] During creek bird surveys from 1989-1991, Zoologist Dan Rice identified 86 species of riparian corridor bird species adjacent to Big Darby Creek Scenic River. Between 1984 and 1992 Rice conducted fish surveys and found 72 species of fish in Big Darby Creek.^{[citation needed]}