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East Fork Watershed Cooperative: Toward better system-scale watershed management
Citation:
Nietch, C., Matt Heberling, A. Safwat, N. Smucker, AND J. Beaulieu. East Fork Watershed Cooperative: Toward better system-scale watershed management. To be Presented at Ohio River Basin Water Quality Workshop, Cincinnati, OH, December 06 - 08, 2016.
Impact/Purpose:
This presentation is an invited contribution to the Ohio River Basin Water Quality Workshop sponsored by the US ACE and the US EPA. The presentation describes the activities of the East Fork Watershed Cooperative and the knowledge it has gained to help better manage a case study watershed system over the last few years. The East Fork of the Little Miami River is the focal watershed. It is a significant tributary to the Little Miami River, which flows to the main stem of the Ohio River. The East Fork services as a model system for considering watershed management options. The audience for the presentation will include scientists, engineers, and practicing waters resource professionals all with a stake in the water quality of the Ohio RIver Basin.
Description:
The East Fork Watershed Cooperative is a group intent on understanding how to best manage water quality in a large mixed-use Midwestern watershed system. The system contains a reservoir that serves as a source of drinking water and is popular for water recreation. The reservoir is experience harmful algal blooms. The system including the reservoir has become a significant case study for EPA ORD research and development. The Cooperative includes affiliates from the USACE, the OHIO EPA, the USGS, the USDA, and local Soil and Water Conservation districts as well as utility operators and water quality protection offices. The presentation includes a description of the water quality monitoring and modeling program in the watershed, followed by the results of using the watershed model to estimate the costs associated with nutrient reduction to Harsha Lake, and then ends with an explanation of temporal changes observed for important factors controlling harmful algae in Harsha Lake and how this lake relates to other reservoirs in the Ohio River Basin.
