| Groundwater Programs
The Groundwater Preservation Program goals are to:
- Implement a watershed-wide groundwater monitoring program to assess groundwater quality and quantity.
- Establish a groundwater information management system to store data and provide easy access to the public.
- Interpret water resource data as it relates to the health of our aquifers and streams.
- Participate in groundwater education and outreach activities.
Citizen Involvement
MCD provides various opportunities for citizens to make a difference in our communities including the Great Miami River Watershed Network, groundwater monitoring, Groundwater Preservation Liaison Committee and Stream Team.
Observation Well Network
MCD maintains a network of 109 groundwater level observation wells throughout the Great Miami River Watershed. The observation wells are installed in each of the major aquifer systems where they provide a record of groundwater levels. The data from the network provides a way to evaluate trends in how much water various aquifers store and the effects of groundwater withdrawals from pumping wells and climate changes. Groundwater level data from the MCD observation well network is available in the Water Data section of this website.
Groundwater Quality
Miami Conservancy District staff regularly evaluates groundwater quality in the major aquifers of the Great Miami River Watershed. Each evaluation focuses on one of the major subwatersheds (Lower Great Miami, Upper Great Miami, Mad, and Stillwater) of the Great Miami River Watershed. The entire watershed is evaluated every four years on a rotating basis.
For example, in 2003 MCD assessed groundwater quality in the Mad River Watershed. In 2004, the Lower Great Miami Watershed was assessed. In 2005, we are focusing on the Stillwater. Each groundwater assessment samples major aquifer systems for a variety of parameters including major ions, trace metals, pesticides, nutrients, volatile organic compounds and some unregulated contaminants. MCD staff compiles the data in a report that summarizes aquifer conditions, assesses impacts and provides recommendations for maintaining or restoring groundwater quality.
Groundwater data collected during the assessments is available in the Water Data section of this website.
Groundwater Investigations
MCD has conducted or provided funding assistance for many groundwater investigations in the Great Miami River Watershed. These investigations tend to focus on issues of concern for the region’s groundwater resources. Some recent and on-going investigations include the presence of naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater, sources of nitrates in groundwater and the presence of new emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products in aquifers. During the 1990s, MCD provided funding assistance to the USGS National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) for groundwater investigation work in the Great Miami River Watershed. Information from these groundwater investigations adds to the region’s understanding of the overall health of our water resources and the steps that are needed to sustain them into the future.
Stewardship of Groundwater Resources
MCD supports efforts by public water systems to protect their water supply through local source water protection programs. For public water systems that use groundwater as a source of drinking water, a source water protection plan involves three major steps:
- Determine the area that contributes groundwater to the well field.
- Identify potential sources of contamination to the aquifer within that area.
- Develop management strategies to minimize the potential for groundwater contamination to occur.
Two examples of public water systems in the Great Miami River Watershed that have developed successful source-water protection programs include the Hamilton to New Baltimore Consortium in Hamilton and Butler counties and the City of Dayton in Montgomery County. Ideally, every public water system in the Great Miami River Watershed should have a source-water protection plan to safeguard the water supply from contamination.
Also, many of MCD’s efforts to work with local watershed groups to restore surface water quality through nonpoint source pollution reduction will also benefit groundwater quality.
|
