Environment
Kinsman Township is one of 1,300 townships in Ohio and one of the 24 townships in Trumbull County. Kinsman is made up of mostly agricultural farming land and vacant woodlands. It also border Pymatuning Lake and has its own, called Kinsman Lake.
Physical Description
Climate
- Average Rainfall= 40.1
- Average Snowfall= 62.4
- Average Precipitation days= 160
- Average Sunny days= 160
- Average High in July= 82
- Average Low in January= 14.8
- UV index= 3.4
- Elevation= 983
- Wetlands occur throughout the township in open space areas or along creek corridors
- Wetlands provide many benefits to Kinsman; food and habitat for fish and wildlife, flood protection, shoreline erosion control, natural products for human use, water quality improvement, and opportunities for recreation, education and research.
- Kinsman Township contains a total area of approximately 17,093 acres including the 1,530 acre Shenango River reservoir
- Land use is dominated by agricultural lands that are used for general farming, livestock, dairy farms, timber, classified forestry and other pasturage for agricultural production
- Agricultural lands account for 79%
- Residential dwellings 9%
- 10% Public/Institutional
- 1/2% Commerical
- 1%Industrial
- 1% Public/Private
- Heavily wooded areas account for 26%
- Primarily agricultural community surrounding a well-defined town center along State Routes 5 and 7
- Outlying areas of township or primarily low-density residential, agricultural, woodland and protected areas
Natural Resources
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources it describes the Shenango Area as follows:
- Soils are moderately well drained and low to moderate fertility
- Cropland and openland make up 21%
- Brushland 15%
- Wetlands 4% of the wildlife aread
- 60% consists of second growth hardwood
- Pymatuning Creek provides fishing for largemouth bass, white crappies, sunfish, bullheads, carp and suckers
- Shenango Wildlife Area is popular for hunting waterfowl, rabbit, squirrel, turkey, grouse, deer, woodcock and pheasant
Terrain
- Slopes in Kinsman range from 0-50%
- Majority of slopes range from 0-6%
- Area ranges from nearly flat and gently rolling to a few extremely steep slopes
- Steepest slopes are 25-50%
- Steep slopes in the area occur wherever the creeks have cut relatively deep incisions through the land surface during the process of erosion
- The city recommended that these areas be protected and left covered with natural, native vegetation
- Located completely within the Shenango River Watershed
- All waters flow into Pyamtuning Creek, Sugar Run or the Pymatuning Reservoir
- The elevations range from 910-1240 feet above sea level
Housing
Residential makes up 9% of the Kinsman Township with homes consisting of single-family homes and multi-family homes and mobile homes, with single-family homes making up the majority of housing being 80%. The number of occupied houses/apartments is 1,900 with 1,561 being owned and 339 are renter occupied, percent of renters is 18%.
Household Type
Family households:
Married-couple family: 427
Other family:
Male householder, no wife present: 11
Female householder, no husband present: 117
Nonfamily households:
Householder living alone: 190
Householder not living alone: 35
- Median number of rooms per household: 6
- Occupied: 780
- Vacant: 37
The township offers home improvements through the Community Housing Improvement program, those who can apply must fall below the 80% median income. This is the only type of public housing option available to residents.
As for the condition of housing in Kinsman Township, the majority of the homes were built in 1939 or earlier making them historic, with 391 in total. From 1970 to 1979 another rise in homes built occurred with 156. Only 5 homes have been built in Kinsman Township from 1999 to 2000.
Biological/Chemical
Water Supply
- Mainly comes from groundwater obtained from Sandstone Bedrock which yields 25 to 100 gallons of water per minute and aquifers
- Good= 98.93%
- Moderate= 1.07%
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups= 0.00%
- Unhealthy= 0.00%
- Very Unhealthy= 0.00%
- Hazardous= 0.00%
The water quality of Kinsman Township was listed as 47 with 100 being the best. This number comes into question how much pollution is actually in the water. A second pollution problem the town faces is pollution from the sewage systems that were built on unstable sites before health regulations. To correct this issues Trumbull county is looking to build more sanitary sites.
Access to food supply:
In regards to food access there is an IGA grocery store located right outside of the town square and a dollar general on main-street.
Animal Reservoirs:
- Kinsman Lake
- Shenango River Reservoir
Sewage/Waste Disposal
- Kinsman Township falls under The Trumbull County Health Department which administers household sewage treatment system (HSTS) rules of the Trumbull County Health department in compliance with the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) sections 3701-29-01 to 3701-20-21 for all unincorporated areas of Trumbull County.
- Septic systems are the most prevalent form of wastewater treatment
- Kinsman sites for HSTS are limited due to the townships soils with are unsuitable or severely limited for the effective operation of a typical HSTS. The area surrounding the township has more suitable sites for these systems. The smaller lots that exist today were created before zoning, health regulations and subdivisions have led to pollution problems.
- Trumbull County is in the process of providing sanitary sites for Kinsman Township
Strengths and Weaknesses
The strengths of the environment found in Kinsman Township would be the amount of wetlands the township has. Wetlands provide critical needs for the town such as; food and habitat for fish and wildlife, flood protection, shoreline erosion control, natural products for human use, water quality improvement, and opportunities for recreation, education and research. Another strength would be the air quality which has a reading of 98.93% of good and only 1.07% for moderate. No percentage of the air quality fell into any of the unhealthy categories. The township also offers abundant land to be used for farming. Kinsman Township also has several weaknesses regarding their environment. The water quality received a 47 out of 100. The lack of proper sanitary sewage sites also adds pollutants to the town. The minimal access to food is also a weakness. The town only has one grocery store located near the center of town and then a dollar general. Although the majority of the houses are historic, there have been no new homes built since 2005, which could be considered a weakness if the foundations of the old homes are not stable.
References:
www.city-data.com/township/kinsman-trumbull-oh.html
Kinsman Township Comprehensive Plan
www.homefacts.com/airquality/ohio/trumbull-county/kinsman-township.html
www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/ohio/kinsman_township