Scenic river 'endangered'
Group: Little Miami's future at risk

By Dan Klepal
Enquirer staff writer

One of Ohio's cleanest and most beautiful rivers is also one of the nation's
most endangered waterways, according to the environmental organization American
Rivers.

The Little Miami River, designated as a National Wild and Scenic River by the
U.S. Park Service in 1980 because of its water quality and natural beauty, was
listed Tuesday with nine others around the country that face uncertain futures
because of pressures from development, road projects and expanding population.

Preserving the waterway is important for a number of reasons: It is a place
where about 500,000 people a year go for biking, canoeing and other recreational
activities; those people spend money in the process, contributing tens of
millions of dollars for the local economy; and a vibrant river means higher
property values for those living around the river, which means more tax dollars
for local governments.

The Little Miami is one of only two urban streams in the National Wild and
Scenic River program.

"This just reinforces the idea that protecting rivers it is an ongoing effort,"
said Eric Partee, executive director of Little Miami Inc. "It's easy to get
caught up in some modest gain here and there. But here we are 25 years later,
still having to deal with very serious threats to the river.

"The Little Miami still needs our attention."

Specific threats to the Little Miami include a proposed new bridge on the
"horseshoe bend" portion of the river that environmentalists believe will bring
thousands of additional cars every day and ruin the serene quality of the river
with trash, noise and salt during winter.

The 17 wastewater treatment plants along the river also pollute the water with
phosphorus and other nutrients that, when combined with sunlight, cause algae
blooms that rob the water of oxygen and kill fish. Six applications for new
plants or expansions of old plants are being considered by the Ohio
Environmental Protection Agency.

Bruce Smith, a wastewater plant engineering specialist with OEPA, said the state
shares American Rivers' concern. The state will start requiring new or expanded
plants to remove more phosphorus, he said.

"I would say we are concerned about the direction of the Little Miami River's
water quality," Smith said.

American Rivers isn't listing the rivers facing the most chronic threats; rather
it lists rivers with the most uncertain future. The idea is to bring the
potential threats to the public's attention.

American Rivers is a national nonprofit conservation group with about 40,000
members dedicated to protecting and restoring rivers and the variety of life
they sustain.

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