Sierra Club members hike at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park in 2025. Credit: Courtesy of Anna Elfers
The rewrite of an intergovernmental agreement meant to protect the environmentally valued Big Darby Creek is a high-stakes moment for Central Ohio, with the Ohio State Sierra Club and state conservation groups pushing for stronger protections while Columbus faces continued pressure to build more homes and businesses.
Located just west of Columbus, Big Darby Creek is one of the most biologically diverse freshwater systems of its size in the Midwest and supports nearly 40 federal- and state-listed threatened and endangered aquatic species, which include fish and mussels, according to the Protect the Darby website.
Doug Babcock, managing director of water policy for the Ohio Environmental Council, said the Darby is the last pristine gem among Franklin County’s major rivers.
Adam Lehmann, central Ohio water manager of The Nature Conservancy, said the Darby is highly endangered.?
“We’re very lucky to have a hotspot like this,” Lehmann said.
Lehmann said the creek is at a “tipping point” stemming from environmental threats created by the growth of suburban homes, roads and other urban development that come from Columbus’ urban sprawl. Because every roof, driveway and parking lot covers ground that would absorb rainfall, that water instead runs off these impervious surfaces directly into the Darby and its tributary streams, worsening problems of erosion and pollution.
Commonly called urbanization, the land surrounding the Darby Creek stream system has been above 10% development since 2021, and biological degradation in other Ohio streams has been observed at about 5% developed land cover, Lehmann said.
For Ohio State students, the Darby is not just a conservation issue, it is a nearby outdoor and academic resource, said Anna Elfers, a second-year in environmental science and president of the Sierra Club. Elfers said the club visited Battelle Darby Metro Park in the fall.
Bella Shorr, a second-year in environmental policy and decision making and philosophy, politics and economics, said the Darby is not just for animals.
“It’s a refuge, not just for the species that live there, but for students on campus and for everyone in Columbus.” Shorr said.
Shorr said the Darby is valuable for Ohio State research because students and faculty from multiple fields use it to study aquatic life and collect samples.
Lehmann said the area has “a huge amount of educational and research potential.”
The Darby Accord was originally developed from four years’ worth of discussions that concluded in 2006, said John Tetzloff, president of the Darby Creek Association.?
“The original accord was a compromise, and the vision behind it was that some development in the watershed could be possible if we offset that with conservation measures,” Tetzloff said.
The proposed rewrite of the accord, led by the city of Columbus and multiple local governments near the creek, would offer the first major changes to the agreement.
Tetzloff said one part of the original accord worked because developers have not exceeded their cap. Still, he said, major commitments like water quality monitoring or development revenue meant for conservation, didn’t happen. A major reason was that staff were never hired to implement the plan, Tetzloff said, and that remains a problem in the current rewrite discussion.
The website lists three critical components for an effective accord: science-based development limits, conservation protections tied to development approvals and implementation and accountability through dedicated watershed staff.
To ensure development is balanced with conservation, Lehmann said the key is to “balance it in an informed manner,” and argued that any rewrite should use current science to define how much development the watershed can handle before the creek degrades.
Equally important, Babcock said advocates want someone who can look across all jurisdictions and ensure the plan is actually carried out.
“We only get one chance to get Darby right,” Babcock said.
If the region incorrectly develops the Darby, Babcock said rebuilding a watershed is almost impossible.
Public pressure matters just as much as in the first accord, Tetzloff said.
“We’ve always had support from Ohio State. Students and staff were part of founding the Darby Creek Association, and there’s a whole history of things they accomplished that were back in the 70s and 80s. So there’s a 50-year history of this,” Tetzloff said.
Elfers and Shorr said Sierra Club is currently focused on awareness while waiting for a concrete public comment timeline. Shorr said students can use the Protect the Darby’s website to contact representatives.
Tetzloff said residents can help by writing letters, calling representatives, attending meetings and submitting comments once the public comment period opens, which he said will likely be in March.
Babcock said learning before advocating is the most meaningful first step for students and Columbus residents.
