Every public water system in Ohio that relies on groundwater has a defined source water protection area. A source water protection area is a map of all the land area over the aquifers which provide drinking water to a particular public water system. It is the responsibility of each municipal public water system to develop … Continue reading Water protection is more important than ever
Category: Aquifer
Our water was not impacted by East Palestine
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 … Continue reading Our water was not impacted by East Palestine
Private well owners need to test their drinking water
By Mike Ekberg, manager of water resources monitoring and analysis Municipal public water systems in Ohio are required to test drinking water for contaminants on a regular basis. For many parameters, that is daily. This helps to ensure the water they produce is safe for consumers to drink. Private well owners, on the other hand, … Continue reading Private well owners need to test their drinking water
PFAS Part IV – PFAS in Major Rivers of the Great Miami River Watershed
By Mike Ekberg, manager of water resources monitoring and analysis Are PFAS compounds present in our rivers and if so at what levels or concentrations are they present? Recent river water sampling by the Miami Conservancy District (MCD) shows some Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) compounds present in all of the major rivers. The results … Continue reading PFAS Part IV – PFAS in Major Rivers of the Great Miami River Watershed
Too much salt: It’s not good for you or our water
By Mike Ekberg and Richard Stuck Most of us know that too much salt is unhealthy for the body, raising blood pressure for example. Well, apparently it can be unhealthy for our water, too. As the saltiness or salinity of groundwater increases above naturally occurring levels, so does its potential to harm aquatic life and … Continue reading Too much salt: It’s not good for you or our water
We need to talk about the birds and the bees
By Sarah Hippensteel Hall, Ph.D., manager of watershed partnerships For many of us, enjoying prairies has been limited to what we saw on (or see in reruns of) TV shows like “Little House on the Prairie.” That’s because by the middle of the 20th century, nearly all of the North American prairie grasslands had been destroyed … Continue reading We need to talk about the birds and the bees
Severe drought in the West — what about our region’s water levels?
According to the measurements taken by MCD over the last 35 years, the water supplies in the Great Miami River Watershed are in what’s called a “steady state.” That means the amount of water that flows into the watershed is roughly equal to the amount of water that flows out. In other words, the amount of water stored in the 4,000 square miles of land that drains into the Great Miami River is relatively constant over the last 35 years. Most of the water stored in the Great Miami River Watershed is in aquifers and lakes.
Part II — PFAS and our water
In Part I, we looked at what per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS, are and why you should care. In Part II, we look at the impact to our drinking water. Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances or PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals widely used in consumer products such as cookware, pizza boxes, … Continue reading Part II — PFAS and our water
PFAS Part I — the forever chemicals
By Mike Ekberg, manager of water resource monitoring and analysis You've probably heard about PFAS, but what are they and why are they such a hot topic today? Amazing chemicals PFAS or per- and polyflouroalkyl substances are a group of chemicals developed in the 1940s that can repel water, dirt, and grease; tolerate high temperatures; … Continue reading PFAS Part I — the forever chemicals
Where does the Miami Valley get its water?
MCD has created a new series of videos about the importance of water. Many people in the Miami Valley don’t know where our water comes from, how it’s replenished or the ways water is used beyond our daily life activities. They don’t know what an aquifer is or how it works. Or how many industries … Continue reading Where does the Miami Valley get its water?
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