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
By Mike Ekberg, manager of water resources monitoring and analysis It’s the beginning of November and winter is right around the corner. What will winter 2021–2022 be like? Will the Miami Valley experience a mild winter or can we expect frigid temperatures and lots of snow? Here are some predictions based on MCD’s research and … Continue reading What will winter 2021-2022 bring?
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
By Sarah Hippensteel Hall, Ph.D., manager of watershed partnerships Soil. It’s under your feet. It’s in your garden. It’s on the farms that grow your food. And yet you probably don’t give it much of a thought. But maybe you should. Protecting soil is better for everyone. Our community gets cleaner rivers, cleaner air, and … Continue reading Get the dirt on the benefits of healthy soil
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
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.
By Sarah Hippensteel Hall, Ph.D., manager of watershed partnerships We all want clean and healthy rivers. How about helping to keep them that way? Join in the Clean Sweep of the Great Miami River! You never know what you'll find. The oldest “piece of trash” was not trash at all. Volunteers discovered a skull cap … Continue reading Get wet…Get dirty…Get involved
By Sarah Hippensteel Hall, Ph.D., manager of watershed partnerships Some people have plenty of excuses why they don’t wear a life jacket when paddling or boating, but there’s not a single good reason. According to a recent report from the U.S. Coast Guard: • Drowning was reported as the cause of death in 79 percent … Continue reading A life jacket is a life saver
By Sarah Hippensteel Hall, Ph.D., manager of watershed partnerships Many people think about the dangers of cold-water immersion when the temperatures begin to turn cooler in the fall. But springtime can create a false sense of security because while the air may be warm, the water may not be. And if you capsize, the “cold … Continue reading Cold-water immersion a springtime danger, too
By Mike Ekberg, manager of water resources monitoring and analysis Whether you’re just curious and want to know how much rain fell in the Miami Valley region over the past 24 hours. Or you’re an engineer who needs to know the highest river level for infrastructure design. Or you’re a hydrologist needing groundwater levels for … Continue reading Get the water data info you want
Blog of the Miami Conservancy District 