Page 5 - The Deed 2019

Rainfall on the rise
More than 4 feet of precipitation in 2018
This region saw more than 4 feet of precipitation in 2018—50.68 inches to be exact.
“That’s 25 percent above the annual average of 40 inches,” says Mike Ekberg, MCD
water resources monitoring and analysis manager.
The months of February, April, August, September and November were particularly wet with at least 1 inch more precipitation
than average. May, July and October were at least 1 inch drier than average. The region saw record high precipitation in February, with an average of 5.35 inches.
MCD recorded three Top 100 high-water events in 2018, including its 12th largest event in April. MCD’s ve dams together temporarily stored
oodwater 42 times in 2018, more than double the average of 20 storage events per year.
Precipitation in this region has been climbing for years, Ekberg says. In fact, the average annual precipitation has increased about 5 inches over the last 30 years.
“There is evidence that rising global temperatures are increasing the amount
of water or humidity in the atmosphere,” Ekberg says. “Satellites have measured
a 4-percent rise in water vapor in the air column. The more humid atmosphere seems to be making storms wetter. Many weather stations in the United States are showing increases in extreme precipitation. Our region seems to be showing signs of this trend.”
5
Prosecuting a river threat
Making your rivers safer and cleaner
There are plenty of threats to your rivers. MCD can’t control many of them, but people using rivers and riverfront lands as their personal dumping grounds is one threat MCD is tackling head on.
“Over the years, we’ve seen people dump everything from tires to construction debris on MCD land by the river,” says Jamie Johnson, MCD eld operations manager. “It’s impossible to monitor our land 24/7 for illegal dumping, so we’ve done the next best thing—cameras.”
MCD placed cameras to catch people illegally dumping materials and works with local police to prosecute those responsible.
“We are catching people and we’ll keep at it as long as we have to,” Johnson says.
Get dirty...get involved
Stopping illegal dumping isn’t the only way to improve rivers. You can help keep your rivers clean and have some fun, too.
Each year, hundreds of volunteers pick up trash in and along the river as part of the Clean Sweep of the Great Miami River. Volunteers remove trash and debris on foot or by canoe.
MCD staff members also work as a team during the Clean Sweep of the Great Miami River, adopting a section of river. Last year, MCD staff collected 780 pounds of trash and 10 tires.
“In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need a Clean Sweep,” says Linda Raterman, Clean Sweep committee chairperson. “We’re trying to educate people to view the river as theirs and teach them it’s important not to treat it like a wastebasket.”
MCD staff member Eric Linnevers removed this piece of berglass boat during the 2018 Clean Sweep of the Great Miami River.