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OKI Land Use and the Environment |
The Great Miami Runoff Reduction Project
The Great Miami Runoff Reduction Project − named for its treatment of stormwater flowing to the Great Miami River − received $65,000 in federal pass-through funding to demonstrate the water quality benefits of a rain garden and a pervious parking area. The two techniques, also known as best management practices, are described below. The OKI sponsored project was one of seven water quality projects funded by the Miami Conservancy District, which received funding from a U.S. EPA Watershed Initiative Grant.
Project partners included:
Colerain Township
Friends of the Great Miami
University of Cincinnati
Greenacres Foundation
OKI Regional Conservation Council
RAIN GARDEN
What is it?
A planted area that absorbs stormwater and nutrients naturally.
How does it work?
Drainage paths direct stormwater to the rain garden where the native wildflowers and grasses soak up the runoff and thrive on the water-borne nutrients.
Why is it important?
It helps keep our water supply clean with natural, cost-efficient treatment methods.
Where is it?
Next to the parking lot of Heritage Park, 11405 East Miami River Road, along a big bend of the Great Miami River in northern Hamilton County’s Colerain Township (ZIP code 45252).
PERVIOUS PARKING AREA
What is it?
A roadside parking apron constructed of paver blocks with spaces between them to allow seepage into the ground.
How does it work?
As stormwater trickles through the paver block spaces, it yields pollutants to sub-layers of crushed limestone and geo-textile before joining with the groundwater or Great Miami River.
Why is it important?
The system slows stormwater runoff from nearby asphalt and removes pollutants that might otherwise contaminate the groundwater below or river nearby.
Where is it?
Along the entry road to Heritage Park, 11405 East Miami River Road, Colerain Township, 45252.
