The Chagrin River drains approximately 267 square miles. The 47.9 mile mainstem receives flow from the East Branch, Griswold Creek, Willey Creek, the Aurora Branch including McFarland Creek, Silver Creek, and Beaver Creek. Table 1 summarizes the size of identified streams.
Surface waters make up a significant portion of the water resources of the Chagrin River.
Over l00 miles of named perennial streams exist within the watershed. Bass Lake, Lake Lucerne, Sunny Lake, Kiwanis Lake, and Geauga Lake are among the larger lakes in the watershed. Hundreds of small lakes and ponds also exist in the basin. While many wetlands have been drained, filled, and converted to urban or agricultural use, wetlands remain throughout the watershed of varying size. Several large wetlands and complexes remain in the headwaters with some larger than 10 acres in size.