Creating the Mill Creek Watershed Action Plan
In 1997, after considerable discussion and debate, the U.S. EPA’s Urban Wet Weather Federal Advisory Committee crafted a draft "Watershed Alternative for the Management of Wet Weather Flows" policy document. Working with US EPA beginning in 1999, MCRP has created a process with other partners for developing a Mill Creek Watershed Action Plan that will assist attainment of water quality standards and designated uses for watershed streams. The process will include work to generate public consensus and support of that plan from a wide variety of public and private stakeholders.
MCRP’s goal is to test and develop an effective process that will lead to a better managed, protected and regenerated natural resource for the Greater Cincinnati region and that will serve as a national demonstration model. The heavily urbanized and industrialized Mill Creek watershed is an ideal testing ground for the Watershed Alternative report, since it presented an excellent case example of the multiple stressors and problems plaguing most urban watersheds, including municipal and industrial point source pollution; combined and sanitary sewer overflows; landfills, Brownfields and Superfund sites; leaking underground storage tanks; urban, agricultural and railroad industrial nonpoint source runoff; streambank erosion; channelization; loss of habitat and biodiversity; contaminated sediment and fish; and an ever-expanding impervious cover from residential and commercial development.
The Watershed Action Project Team includes representatives from Ohio EPA, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. EPA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, MSD, Butler County Department ofEnvironmental Services, Butler County Floodplain Regulations and Stormwater Committees; Hamilton County Wet Weather Initiative; Hamilton and Butler County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Mill Creek Watershed Council, Cincinnati Stormwater Management Utility (part of MSD), City of Forest Park stormwater program, the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, Hamilton County Municipal League, local universities, and civic and environmental groups.
The interagency aspect of the team has enabled it to work on identifying common priorities for watershed restoration and protection; to link local, state and federal programs with common objectives; and to resolve any conflicting agency priorities. To date, MCRP seeks to involve a number of key stakeholder groups in
Mill Creek initiatives, including: business and industry (especially NPDES permitees); and residential and commercial developers, agricultural interests, citizens and government officials in Butler County. In addition, MCRP has made efforts to ensure that Environmental Justice communities most affected by environmental conditions are given opportunities to participate in the watershed action plan effort.
