Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play important roles in water resources protection and management. Defined as organizations that pursue a public interest agenda independent of the government, NGOs work on many levels, from the local to global, and play important roles in development, aid, and philanthropy. NGO operations span a wide variety of activities, from advocacy and communication with legislators on water issues, to conducting outreach and education with the public on key issues and even organizing community projects such as restoration work for degraded systems.

Ohio hosts many NGOs that focus on water challenges we face in the state. The Ohio Scenic Rivers Association seeks to ensure that our scenic rivers are healthy and continue to provide clean water for people and wildlife and a safe place for families to enjoy nature. The Ohio Environmental Council has focus areas covering clean water, public lands protection, clean energy, climate change, and democracy. The Ohio branch of the Nature Conservancy works on climate change, protecting land and water resources, building healthy cities, and sustainable production of food and water. The Nature Conservancy also has nature preserves across the state that the public can explore. Watershed groups are common local NGOs that focus on protecting a particular stream or river. For example, The Ohio Water Resources Center, researchers, and clubs at Ohio State University work together with Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW) on multiple projects such as clean up days along the river and capstone projects. NGOs can be instrumental partners for researchers and academics, helping us educate and connect with community. We encourage you to connect with state and local NGOs on your research or simply to get involved with ones we highlighted or any of the many others that are active in Ohio.

Dr. Gil Bohrer and Dr. Jorge Villa from the Ohio State University completed an Ohio Water Resources Center funded project via a USGS 104(b) subaward. The study focused on understanding how the ecosystem function of different parts of a wetland relates to the processing of carbon and nutrients. Key activities of the study included analysis of soil cores to determine the accumulation rates of nitrogen and phosphorus and the sequestration rate of carbon in the wetland soils. The project also conducted extensive chamber-based sampling to determine the effects of the ecological and hydrological conditions at different patch types on processes of uptake and transport of nutrients and carbon-based greenhouse gasses.

The team found carbon and nutrient sequestration rates varied at different locations in the wetland. Shallow locations near the outflow sequestered more carbon but less phosphorus than deeper locations. They also found that the regulation of methane flux from the wetland vegetation types is driven by temperature and water depth and is dominated by hotspots and hot moments when the fluxes are very high. Additionally, they found differences between vegetation types in the way they regulate methane flux through their leaves. Thus, when constructing or restoring a wetland ecosystem to protect surface waters from nutrients, special attention must be paid to the wetland depth and vegetation as it is evident from the research that they have different impacts on nutrient and carbon sequestration.

If you have any questions, email [email protected].

The Kansas River provides drinking water for multiple cities in northeastern Kansas and is used for recreational activities. This dye-tracing study will provide a better understanding of how quickly water flows from one location to another. Water-resource managers use this information to effectively respond to potential critical events such as harmful algal blooms or contaminant spills that may make the water unsafe for the public to use. Several dye-tracing experiments have been conducted along the Kansas River as part of this study starting in September of 2020.

The red-hued dye will be measured using instruments in the stream and compared with laboratory analyses. The study will consist of multiple experimental runs to optimize time-of-travel data collection by injecting non-toxic rhodamine water-tracing dye into the Kansas River during low, medium and high flow conditions at Manhattan, Topeka and Eudora. The primary purpose of performing a dye-tracer study on the Kansas River is to calibrate a time-of-travel model used for estimating streamflow velocities and travel times, which can be used by the public as well as drinking-water suppliers to protect water resources and public-water supplies.

DeWine Signs Bill Regulating Ephemeral Streams 

Via Engineering News-Record, April 19, 2022

Have a news article you'd like us to feature in our Newsletter? Email us at [email protected]!

The Colorado Water Center (CoWC) has an opening for an associate director. The associate director serves in a leadership position with the CoWC , which fulfills an important role in higher education throughout Colorado and beyond. Applications for the position are due May 9, 2022. More information can be found here.

The Institute for Water & Watersheds (IWW) at Oregon State University, in concert with the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center (HAREC), seek to hire a Full-Time 12-month Post doctoral scholar. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Todd Jarvis.

In an effort to highlight members' knowledge, experiences, and achievements, Ohio AWWA is accepting technical articles and success stories. The intent is to highlight this content by including it in the 2022 issues of the Ohio Section Newsletter. Send a request to submit with a synopsis of the article to [email protected]. Deadline for the spring issue is February 8, summer issue is April 22, and the winter issue is October 8.

The Universities Council on Water Resources is interested in publishing research resulting from 104b and 104g grants in the Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education (JCWRE). JCWRE is published three times per year (April, August & December) and is available on Wiley Online Library. Manuscripts may be submitted at any time, but should be submitted by June 15 for the December issue. More information about JCWRE, including author guidelines, can be found here.

To find more resources offered by Ohio WRC, please visit: https://wrc.osu.edu/resources

May 12, 2022 • Virtual

The Diversity in Water Speaker Series invites leaders in Ohio’s water industry from diverse backgrounds to discuss their careers, lend us their life lessons, and help lead the discussion on championing diversity within the water industry and in our day-to-day lives. This month's speaker is Mark Riley. Mark brings more than 25 years of experience in Public Utilities and Public Works. Register here.

Hosted annually by River Network, River Rally provides an inspiring and energy-infused touchpoint for nonprofit groups, as well as for agency and foundation representatives, industry innovators, philanthropists, academics, students, and community leaders. Registration is now open.

June 14-16, 2022 • Hyatt Regency in Greenville, SC

Registration is now open for the Universities Council on Water Resources and National Institutes of Water Resources Annual Water Resources Conference. The conference has a focus on water resilience to encourage conversations about how watersheds, ecosystems, infrastructure systems, governance structures, and communities can adapt and transform in the face of current and future stressors.

July 11-14, 2022 • DECC, Duluth MN

Registration is now open for the North Central Region Water Network’s Climate Intersections Conference. The conference theme is “Taking Care of People, Water, and the Land” and will feature emergent research and key programming that can facilitate solutions for resilient and equitable agricultural systems, communities, and watersheds throughout the North Central Region and beyond.

July 25-28, 2022 • Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio

One Water is a joint effort between the Ohio Water Environment Association and the Ohio Section of the American Water Works Association. We join together to bring both water and wastewater professionals from around the state for training and networking. Registration is open.

Have an event you'd like us to feature in our Newsletter? Email us at [email protected]!

To ensure drinking water safety, public water systems are required to test their water for contaminants on a regular basis. The tests must be conducted at laboratories that are certified to perform such testing. All current monitoring schedules can be found here.