In 1968, the Little Miami River was named Ohio's first National Wild
and Scenic River.

But 41 years ago, the river was long on wild and short on scenic.

"Junk cars, herds of cattle, concrete dumped along the river, those
sorts of things," could be found in the river or on its shores, said
Eric Partee.

• Photos: Little Miami cleanup

Partee, 57, has spent almost half of his life on the river, having
worked 27 years and counting at Little Miami Inc., where he is
executive director.

The agency, founded in 1967 to preserve and protect the river, existed
before there was even a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, created
three years later by President Richard Nixon.

Flash forward to today.

The lower Little Miami River watershed, the stretch through Hamilton
County that for years has been the river's most troublesome area, has
met 96 percent of Clean Water Act goals, a leap of 53 percentage
points from 11 years ago, according to a report issued last week by
the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Biologists measured the health of 182,938 fish and 200,000
macroinvertebrates in a two-year study, the result of which authors
said mark a "milestone" in efforts to improve the water quality of the
Little Miami.

Upgrades at several wastewater treatment plants in the watershed were
cited as key to the turnaround in the Little Miami, classified as an
"exceptional warmwater habitat" - the most protective designation
given to waters in Ohio because such streams are capable of
maintaining an exceptional array of aquatic life.

"We're probably 90 percent to where we were 200 years ago when
Tecumseh was running around trying to save his homeland," Partee said.

The improvements are a long time coming, said activists and government
workers who have toiled for years and in some cases, decades, to clean
the river.
(2 of 3)

What it took

Since its formation, Little Miami Inc. has been the tip of the spear
in efforts to save its namesake river from the pollution afflicting
it.

Now, the junk cars, cattle and concrete are gone. The Little Miami
River has more to fear from rowdy locals "cabrewing," or canoeing
while drinking, than a culture where people think it's acceptable to
drop an old water heater in the river or harvest gravel from the
waters to construct foundations.

"Back then, the whole idea of protecting the environment had not
really taken hold yet," said Partee.

Cleaning up a 100-mile-long river running through five Ohio counties
has been a gargantuan task that has required a large group of people
with diverse skills, interests and levels of involvement.

But whether it was someone like Partee, one of the larger wastewater
agencies, a farmer willing to implement a conservation plan or just
someone who cared enough to volunteer to pick up trash, those diverse
efforts converged to result in a better river.

"Everyone can pat themselves on the back," said Bruce Smith, senior
engineer with the Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District. "The public
investment, as well as the nonprofit investment, has been
significant."

For context, Smith said the MSD has spent $29 million since 2005 at
its Sycamore Creek plant in Symmes Township to improve water quality.

Experts said that kind of infrastructure work, along with similar
upgrades by Warren and Greene counties, did much to cut down on
phosphorous levels in the river that can lead to algae that hogs
oxygen needed by native organisms.

Phosphorous also clings to soil particles, vast quantities of which
can make it into the river due to development, smothering aquatic life
and blocking sunlight, said Dave McElroy, director of the Warren
County Soil and Water Conservation District.

For 20 years, McElroy has been instrumental in regulating surface and
soil runoff at construction sites in Warren County, where development
has boomed.

He describes his job as "triage," trying to stabilize the river as
development rages, by suggesting ways to limit erosion or methods of
leading runoff water away from the river.
(3 of 3)

Like others in the first generation who came to clean up the Little
Miami, McElroy learned conservation as he went along.

"Regulation on erosion was something that was relatively new 20 years
ago," he said.
The view from Loveland

The work of McElroy and others is apparent in a place such as
Loveland, a city downstream with a historic downtown bisected by the
river.

Loveland Mayor Rob Weisgerber said a vision of a thriving Little Miami
River basin is something the people of Southwest Ohio can rally
behind. "When you think about the river being one of the first
national scenic rivers, there's a lot of synergy that comes together
to protect and highlight that."

Of the 25 sites studied by the Ohio EPA, one did not pass muster - the
location closest to the Ohio River, the lowest site sampled, near
Beechmont Avenue in Anderson Township.

The poor performance of that site was attributed to urban runoffs,
industrial discharges and sewer overflows from Duck Creek. Cumulative
downstream effects from being low on the Little Miami River near its
confluence with the Ohio River were also factors.

A consent decree between the Ohio EPA and MSD calls for spending $2
billion by 2019 to allay sewer outflows, said Ohio EPA spokeswoman
Heather Lauer.

"Folks realize what needs to be done, but it's very, very expensive to
do it," Lauer said.

The Ohio EPA study also recommends maintaining the highest standards
of wastewater treatment to combat excess nutrients in the Little Miami
River.

Beyond the continuing grunt work, Partee said the challenge is to pass
on a passion for conservation to the next generation. Because after
all, it has been more than 40 years since this all started.

But is he ready to hang it up?

"I've got a few more good years left in me," Partee said with a laugh.

Though much has been accomplished, there is still more to do and gains
to be solidified, and with that Partee turns serious.

"If the grassroots support for environmental protection goes away,
that means the politics and public policy changes, and not for the
better," he said.

What it took

Since its formation, Little Miami Inc. has been the tip of the spear
in efforts to save its namesake river from the pollution afflicting
it.

Now, the junk cars, cattle and concrete are gone. The Little Miami
River has more to fear from rowdy locals "cabrewing," or canoeing
while drinking, than a culture where people think it's acceptable to
drop an old water heater in the river or harvest gravel from the
waters to construct foundations.

"Back then, the whole idea of protecting the environment had not
really taken hold yet," said Partee.

Cleaning up a 100-mile-long river running through five Ohio counties
has been a gargantuan task that has required a large group of people
with diverse skills, interests and levels of involvement.

But whether it was someone like Partee, one of the larger wastewater
agencies, a farmer willing to implement a conservation plan or just
someone who cared enough to volunteer to pick up trash, those diverse
efforts converged to result in a better river.

"Everyone can pat themselves on the back," said Bruce Smith, senior
engineer with the Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District. "The public
investment, as well as the nonprofit investment, has been
significant."

For context, Smith said the MSD has spent $29 million since 2005 at
its Sycamore Creek plant in Symmes Township to improve water quality.

Experts said that kind of infrastructure work, along with similar
upgrades by Warren and Greene counties, did much to cut down on
phosphorous levels in the river that can lead to algae that hogs
oxygen needed by native organisms.

Phosphorous also clings to soil particles, vast quantities of which
can make it into the river due to development, smothering aquatic life
and blocking sunlight, said Dave McElroy, director of the Warren
County Soil and Water Conservation District.

For 20 years, McElroy has been instrumental in regulating surface and
soil runoff at construction sites in Warren County, where development
has boomed.

He describes his job as "triage," trying to stabilize the river as
development rages, by suggesting ways to limit erosion or methods of
leading runoff water away from the river.


Like others in the first generation who came to clean up the Little
Miami, McElroy learned conservation as he went along.

"Regulation on erosion was something that was relatively new 20 years
ago," he said.
The view from Loveland

The work of McElroy and others is apparent in a place such as
Loveland, a city downstream with a historic downtown bisected by the
river.

Loveland Mayor Rob Weisgerber said a vision of a thriving Little Miami
River basin is something the people of Southwest Ohio can rally
behind. "When you think about the river being one of the first
national scenic rivers, there's a lot of synergy that comes together
to protect and highlight that."

Of the 25 sites studied by the Ohio EPA, one did not pass muster - the
location closest to the Ohio River, the lowest site sampled, near
Beechmont Avenue in Anderson Township.

The poor performance of that site was attributed to urban runoffs,
industrial discharges and sewer overflows from Duck Creek. Cumulative
downstream effects from being low on the Little Miami River near its
confluence with the Ohio River were also factors.

A consent decree between the Ohio EPA and MSD calls for spending $2
billion by 2019 to allay sewer outflows, said Ohio EPA spokeswoman
Heather Lauer.

"Folks realize what needs to be done, but it's very, very expensive to
do it," Lauer said.

The Ohio EPA study also recommends maintaining the highest standards
of wastewater treatment to combat excess nutrients in the Little Miami
River.

Beyond the continuing grunt work, Partee said the challenge is to pass
on a passion for conservation to the next generation. Because after
all, it has been more than 40 years since this all started.

But is he ready to hang it up?

"I've got a few more good years left in me," Partee said with a laugh.

Though much has been accomplished, there is still more to do and gains
to be solidified, and with that Partee turns serious.

"If the grassroots support for environmental protection goes away,
that means the politics and public policy changes, and not for the
better," he said.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/2...hits+milestone