STREAMS’R US

The Land Conservancy supports the Great Miami River Citizens’ Water Quality Monitoring Program

It takes many small streams to make a large one, as you can see on the map (see over) of the watershed of the lower Great Miami River (GMR). These streams are special. Most of them “represent the last relatively undisturbed, headwater stream habitats in Hamilton County,” according to the Ohio EPA.

It’s about water quality
The GMR Citizens’ Water Quality Monitoring effort got its start in 2010. It was initiated by conservation groups Rivers Unlimited and Friends of the Great Miami, and sponsored in part by Hamilton Co. Soil & Water Conservation District and the University of Cincinnati Center for Field Studies in western Hamilton County.

Volunteers are the heart
Volunteers are needed to assure that the successful program—both sampling and analysis—continues to deliver qualitydata that meet Ohio EPA reportable standards. Selected locations are sampled on the third Sat. of the month from March thru November. To learn more: www.riversunlimited.org

Sampling provides a personal connection to the streams, which are dynamic systems constantly changing over time. Spending time near the water gives volunteers the opportunity to learn first hand about water quality—and how our precious land and water resources are irrevocably intertwined.

Why monitor tributaries to the Great Miami River?

> Educate the citizens of our watershed about water quality issues.

> Encourage protection of the lower GMR and its tributaries as a valuable natural resource.

> Secure valuable information about biological, chemical and habitat impacts that determine the quality of the water.

Results are encouraging
After two years of collecting samples, the data show that many GMR tributaries are healthy, others threatened by urban runoff. The GMR meets recreational standards for fishing and boating (most of the year). Threats to the GMR include harmful algae growth in summer, aided by fertilizer runoff and problems caused by instream gravel mining and deep pooling in 17 dams upstream of Hamilton County

UC Center for Field Studies, 11053 Oxford Rd., Crosby Twp.

Bernie Moller, volunteer Analyst

Lisa Link, Program Coordinator

Dr. Mike Miller, VP Rivers Unlimited, Friends of the Great Miami

Brian Bohl, Hamilton County Soil & Water Conservation Districtil & Water Conservation District

Carrie Gibbons, volunteerAnalyst

The Land Conservancy of Hamilton County, Ohio (LCHC) is an active member of the nation's growing land conservation movement. A member-supported nonprofit land trust, LCHC was founded in 1999 in response to development pressures that have led to the loss of precious lands and farms in Hamilton County. Without active efforts to permanently protect our County's natural heritage, these lands will be lost, if not to us, most certainly to our children and theirs.