A Periodic Update from the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission
September 2022
ORSANCO's New Chair: Toby Frevert
ORSANCO elected Toby Frevert of New Berlin, Illinois as the 70th chair of ORSANCO at the Commission's June 2022 Commission meeting held in Wheeling, West Virginia. He assumed office on July 1st. Toby served for 27 years in various water quality and pollution control programs at Ilinois EPA and was most recently the manager of the Division of Water Pollution Control, Bureau of Water, until his retirement. Toby has served in various roles on the Commission representing the state of Illinois, and most recently served as ORSANCO's chair in 2014. To read more about our new Chair, click here.
Ohio River Sweep 2022: There's Still Time to Clean!
In 2022, ORSANCO and FORE have supported more than 100 Ohio River Sweep events throughout the watershed in 6 states that border the Ohio River...and we need your help to continue to grow! For more information on how to get involved this year, click here.
BONUS!
Join Us for ORSANCO's Fall Ohio River Sweep Cleanup Celebration on Oct 21st!
Date:Friday, October 21, 2022
Time:9am-12pm
Location:Schmidt Field Boat Ramp,
2944 Humbert Street, Cincinnati, OH
For more details, contact Melissa Mann, Public Information Specialist, at 513-231-7719.
ORSANCO recently added a new member to our staff, Annette Shumard, as our new Communications and Environmental Education Manager. Prior to joining ORSANCO, Annette worked for the Hamilton County, Ohio, Soil and Water Conservation District and Storm Water District as a Public Relations Specialist and Public Involvement Coordinator; she also worked for Clermont County, Ohio, as the Communication Director and most recently served as an Academic Coordinator and Part-Time Faculty at Northern Kentucky University. Please contact Annette if you would like to discuss communication and education opportunities with ORSANCO.
How to Track a HAB? Use An App!
In partnership with USEPA, ORSANCO has developed an online GIS-based tool to predict the occurrence of HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms) on the Ohio River. This app uses flow data from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gauges to compare the current flow to that experienced in 2015 and 2019, the most recent years when HABs occurred. The tool displays the probability of a bloom occurring and persisting and shows relevant water quality data from eight locations on the river. The project team also wrote an article detailing the modeling effort and tool development, which was published in the journal Water.
