The Ohio River Channel

A Periodic Update From The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission

May 2023

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Protecting Our Great Natural Resource, the Ohio River

75th Event

ORSANCO 75th Anniversary

This year, ORSANCO celebrates 75 years of dedicated efforts to improve the water quality in the Ohio River Basin, ensuring the river can be used for drinking, industrial supplies, recreational purposes, and can support a healthy and diverse aquatic community.

"We have seen remarkable improvements in the water quality of our Ohio River Basin interstate waters. ORSANCO's Compact remains as relevant today as it was when our member state governors entered into it 75 years ago. This is a testament to their incredible vision in forming ORSANCO."

-Richard Harrison,

ORSANCO Executive Director

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Celebrate With Us!

Wednesday, June 28th 1:00-4:00PM

Castellini Esplanade at Smale Riverfront Park

Featuring our 2,200 gallon Life Below the Waterline mobile aquarium full of Ohio River fish!

Questions about the event

Life Below the Waterline 2023 Events

April 22nd - Winton Woods Earth Day Festival Cincinnati, OH

June 10th - Newport Aquarium Newport, KY

June 28th - 75th Celebration Smale Riverfront Park Cincinnati, OH

October 7th-8th - Subaru Outdoor Experience Dayton, OH

Apply Online Today

Ohio River Sweep

So far this season...

It's Ohio River Sweep Season!

Our work in the Ohio River Valley is not done! The Sweep program is continuing with a seasonal format in 2023 that supports numerous cleanup events between the dates of March 1st - October 31st. In 2023, we anticipate reaching even further into the Ohio River Basin watershed to include more local creeks and tributaries, further extending the message that litter throughout the watershed can eventually end up in the Ohio River and beyond.

How to Participate:

Plan a cleanup with a group or organization. There are many opportunities for a variety of groups including Scout groups, city and county parks & recreation, universities, rotary clubs, local businesses, and more!

Find a Sweep near you using our online interactive map.

Donate to support a cleanup event. Your contribution will provide t-shirts, gloves, and trash bags to volunteers.

Thank you 2023 Sponsors!

Donate Today

Environmental Education Programs

FORE is currently partnering with BB Riverboats to use the River Queen as a floating classroom and educational laboratory. The River REACH program engages students in applied STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines through hands on-water quality monitoring, habitat assessments, and studies of aquatic organisms, including fish and macroinvertebrates, that are used to study the health of the river system.

Enroll your class for Fall programming today! Currently, this program is only offered in the greater Cincinnati region. However, please let us know if you would like to see us in your area too!

Visit our website and contact our Environmental Education and Outreach Coordinator, Nick Callahan to learn more about this program and other environmental education programs we offer for students, teachers, and the general public.

Visit our Website

Contact Nick

ORSANCO Foundation for Ohio River Education

Public Events

June 17th- Boone Woods Family Nature Day

June 17th- Mill Creek Alliance Canoes and Conversations

July 5th- Cincinnati Parks Creek Week Summer Camp

July 12th- Wild Wednesdays at Mills Road Park

July 14th- Great Parks of Hamilton County Kids Expo

August 5th- Paddlefest Outdoors for All Expo

September 14th- Cincinnati State Technical College Canoe Program at Mill Creek

September 16th- Lawrenceburg, IN Ohio River Sweep cleanup & Fish and Water Chemistry event

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National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA)

In 2023-2024 between the months of June and September, the Biological crew will be completing 92 sites across 4 states (OH, KY, IN, & IL) in addition to their annual pool surveys on the Ohio River.

NRSA is an EPA collaborative survey that provides information on the ecological condition of the nation's rivers and streams and the key stressors that affect them, both on a national and an ecoregional scale. These surveys are based on chemical and biological data collected and analyzed using standardized field and laboratory methods.

Broad Scan Survey 2023

The Broad Scan Survey, last completed in 2012, is underway in 2023. This two part survey takes place at three locations along the Ohio River: upper (Parkersburg mile 193), middle (Louisville mile 633), and lower (Paducah mile 912).

This survey tests for 114 pollution control standards analytes in both high and low flow conditions. For 2023, the high flow conditions were sampled in May at all three locations and sampling will resume in September for the low flow conditions.

This program is meant to identify pollutants with criteria that should be routinely monitored for in Ohio River.

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