By Sarah Hippensteel Hall, Ph.D., manager for watershed partnerships Many of us never think twice about groundwater—where it comes from, how much there is, or how to protect it. We just turn on the spigot and water flows. But maybe it’s time to think for a minute about this amazing resource that keeps us all alive, literally. Think ...
By Mike Ekberg, manager of water resources monitoring and analysis One year ago, I wrote a blogpost summarizing the year 2017 as "another wet year." Now I’m summarizing water conditions for 2018, and I could pretty much copy and paste what I posted last year. And, with some minor changes, it would ring true.Last year reflects a contin ...
Like it or not, winter 2018 – 2019 is upon us. What kind of winter can we expect in the Miami Valley this year? Will it be cold and snowy, or mild and dry? It’s hard to say, according to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA). The go-to signs that often signal winter weather patterns are slow to give away their sec ...
By Mike Ekberg, manager of water resources monitoring and analysis Our region is ready to be the hub of water knowledge and know-how. Initiatives are under way in southwest Ohio to position our region as a leader in water research and technology development to help deal with world water challenges such as scarcity and contamination. On ...
Work on the removal of the Tait Station low dam is progressing nicely. At the end of October, the project was more than 75 percent complete and is expected to be finished by the end of the year. The Ohio Department of Transportationis fully funding the $1.75 million project to remove the Tait Station low dam. With the low dam removed, w ...
Did you know, wetlands in Ohio – and possibly in this region? -- are disappearing at an alarming rate? Since the late 18th century, most of Ohio’s wetlands have been destroyed or damaged through draining, filling, or other modifications. Only 10 percent of the original 5 million acres of Ohio’s wetlands remain, according to the US ...
By Mike Ekberg, manager for water resources monitoring and analysis The old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," rings especially true if you have a septic system. Consider this: It only costs about $300 every four years to maintain your septic system. But it can cost $7,000 to $10,000 or more to repair or replace ...
By Mike Ekberg, manager of water monitoring and analysis Drastically reducing nutrient discharges from wastewater treatment plants won’t be enough to further improve water quality in the Great Miami River from Troy to just downstream of Fairfield, Ohio. That’s what a study,funded by 15 regional wastewater treatment plants and cities, ...
By Sarah Hippensteel Hall, Ph.D., manager for watershed partnerships The project to remove the Tait Station low dam begins today. Here are the latest details on the project. Q: Why is the Tait Station low dam being removed? The low dam is being removed for several reasons: To improve the quality of the river and make better habitat ...
By Elizabeth Connor, Riverway Coordinator Nothing can ruin a good ride along the Great Miami River Recreation Trail like discovering midway that the trail is submerged from a recent storm. But that’s about to be a thing of the past. You can now Find Your Way a whole lot easier with the Great Miami Riverway’s new website, featuring a ...
By Sarah Hippensteel Hall, Ph.D., manager of watershed partnerships Spring weather has FINALLY arrived! You are probably thinking about getting outside to enjoy a bike ride on the trails or launch your kayak in the beautiful river. Before you go, did you know MCD provides maps, trail conditions, day trip recommendations, safety guideline ...
By Sarah Hippensteel Hall, Ph.D., manager for watershed partnerships Most of us go to some lengths to protect our health. We may have an annual physical to catch issues early because we know how hard it can be to fix something once it’s broken. The same is true of our aquifer – the underground source of this region’s drinking wate ...
By Mike Ekberg, manager for water monitoring and analysis Groundwater may seem mysterious. You can’t see it. You can’t hear it. You can’t touch it. Yet, it may be the most important resource we have because, quite simply, we can’t live without water. While this region has plenty of good quality groundwater, we can’t take it for ...
By Mike Ekberg, manager for water monitoring and analysis Last year was a wet one for the Miami Valley region, continuing a trend we’ve been seeing for a while now. The chart below shows how the 30-year average annual precipitation for the Great Miami River has changed since 1945. Note the upward trend, especially since about 1995. ...
There’s nothing like a tall, cool glass of water when you’re hot and thirsty (despite this week's cold, you will be hot again). But, do you know where your drinking water comes from? If you live in the Miami Valley, chances are your water comes from the buried valley aquifer. When it comes to water, our region’s buried ...
By Sarah Hippensteel Hall, manager for watershed partnerships You turn the on the faucet and good quality water comes out it, right? But what if it didn’t? Imagine a day without water. In the first hour alone, you couldn’t flush the toilet, brush your teeth, take a shower or make a cup of coffee. Beyond your personal needs, f ...
By Kurt Rinehart, MCD Chief Engineer With the heavy rains of recent hurricanes, especially Hurricane Harvey’s 50 inches, people are wondering how much precipitation can the MCD flood protection system handle? The system is designed for the greatest reasonably expected storm but not the largest scientifically possible storm. In o ...
By Mike Ekberg, MCD manager for water resources monitoring and analysis MCD staff recently found artificial sweeteners in five of 12 groundwater samples. The samples were collected from monitoring wells installed in the buried valley aquifer. This is further proof that many of the chemicals we flush down a toilet, rinse down a sink, or a ...
By Sarah Hippensteel Hall, Ph.D.,Manager for Watershed Partnerships Last month we discussed how green development can reduce flooding, save money, reduce energy use, and improve public health. This month we want to key in on a few of the more popular green development practices and their incentives. Rain gardens filter out pollutants a ...
By Sarah Hippensteel Hall, Ph.D., manager of watershed partnerships Could your land use plan be holding back your community? It could if you’re not focusing on balancing water protection with land development. This region is averaging about 4 more inches of precipitation per year than it did 30 years ago. Stronger storms, ...
