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Protecting and Preserving the Great Miami

The Great Miami Runoff Reduction Project, named for the protection it will provide for the Great Miami River, received $65,000 in funding from the Miami Conservancy District (MCD). The project focuses on two models that allow water to be treated naturally for pollutants before reaching the Great Miami River as detailed below

RAIN GARDEN –
What is it? A planted area that absorbs stormwater and nutrients naturally.
How will it work? Drainage paths will direct stormwater to the rain garden where the native trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses will soak up the runoff and thrive on the water-borne nutrients.
Why is it important? It will act as a natural treatment for polluted runoff, which will help keep our water supply clean.
Where will it be? It will be created at Colerain Township’s new park along the Big Bend of the Great Miami River in northern Hamilton County.

PERVIOUS PARKING AREA –
What is it? A parking area that uses permeable paver blocks with spaces between the blocks to allow seepage into the ground.
How does it work? Stormwater trickles into sand and gravel sub-layers and is treated naturally for pollutants before joining with the Great Miami River.
Why is it important? The system preserves the quality of our water supply by reducing runoff water pollution.
Where will it be? To be located in a new park in the Big Bend of the Great Miami River in Colerain Township of Hamilton County.

The University of Cincinnati and Greenacres Foundation will record benchmark water quality data before the rain garden and pervious parking area are installed and return periodically to monitor the results. The project’s major goal is to test the effectiveness of the systems and to successfully transfer the use of these best management practices to other areas.

Pervious parking spaces and rain gardens are an environmental advance that will allow residents to enjoy areas that support best management practices improving the environmental quality of their communities,” says Bruce Koehler, Environmental Planner at OKI. “Many people understand the importance of preserving our water and natural resources and that is exactly what these systems are designed to do.”

We appreciate the hard work and dedication that the following groups and individuals have demonstrated in getting this project up and running --

Friends of the Great Miami
Colerain Township
University of Cincinnati
Greenacres Foundation
OKI Regional Conservation Council

OKI’s project is one of seven community projects in Ohio awarded funding through the Miami Conservancy District. MCD received funding from the U.S. EPA Watershed Initiative Grant in May 2003, the only group from Ohio to do so. All seven projects address water quality issues.

The three-year project is scheduled to end in late April 2007.