The good news is that our rivers, streams, and groundwater are not connected with the runoff from the train derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio. In fact, they drain a totally different direction. The Great Miami River Watershed drains INTO the Ohio River – not the other way around.
Water in the Ohio River is not physically able to flow upstream into southwest Ohio. The Great Miami River flows south and drains into the Ohio River by gravity. Furthermore, there are natural barriers, such as land slope and bedrock, that protect the groundwater in southwest Ohio from mingling with other aquifer systems in Ohio.
Southwest Ohio is water rich. We have abundant, high-quality water when compared with other parts of our country and the world. The Great Miami River Watershed drains all or parts of 15 counties and also includes the Stillwater and Mad rivers, and Twin, Buck, and Greenville creeks.
An estimated 97 percent of the population in the Great Miami River Watershed relies on groundwater for its drinking water supply. Drinking water in southwest Ohio primarily is pulled out of the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer.
