More than 30 million people across 14 states rely on the Ohio River watershed for drinking water, recreation, and for their local economies. But the river and its many tributaries receive millions of pounds of pollution every year from abandoned mines, industry, agriculture and sewage systems.
The Ohio River Basin Alliance, a group of agencies, research institutions and nonprofits, has been working on a restoration plan to improve water quality in the Ohio River basin. It released a draft plan for public comment, which is available through July 18.
Jonathan Burgess, director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Water Collaboratory, a research center, is vice chair of the alliance and helped write the restoration plan in collaboration with the National Wildlife Federation. Burgess says the plan will help raise the profile of the Ohio.
“Most of us don’t think of ourselves as living in the Ohio River basin,” said Burgess. “If you go to the Great Lakes, it’s undeniable where you are and the identity and the kind of vibrancy and the relationship that people have with that water. I think that’s something that we’re missing here on the Ohio River.”
Burgess told The Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier that there are choices we can make right now to protect the Ohio River, which is a key waterway not just for the region but also for the country.
LISTEN to the interview
Jonathan Burgess: The river is really not only the most important inland waterway in the United States, but the Port of Pittsburgh was, at least up until a few years ago, certainly the busiest inland port in our country.
These waters are not only a vehicle for the economy and a source of drinking water, they are sort of the lifeblood of our region. Whether you drive over them, whether you drink water from your tap, whether you’re a boater or a fisher or, you know, somebody who just enjoys being outside from time to time, you cannot avoid interacting with water in this region.
The Allegheny Front’s coverage of the Ohio River watershed
Good River: A series about the environment, economy and culture of the Ohio River watershed
Headwaters: Reimagining the Ohio River
Reid Frazier: What is the status of the Ohio River, and why was this [restoration] plan necessary?
Jonathan Burgess: The Ohio River, which travels, obviously, from the confluence here in Pittsburgh all the way down to where it meets the Mississippi [in Cairo, Illinois], has improved its water quality since the passage of the Clean Water Act, but it remains one of the rivers in our nation with the highest toxic pollution load out of any river.
So we’re still seeing legacy issues from infrastructure to industry like mining, as well as emerging industries that threaten the health of the waters. We really aren’t seeing the benefits and the sustained potential of this river and its various tributaries.
Reid Frazier: So, what are some of the key actions that you feel are needed to clean the river up?
Jonathan Burgess: Well, living here in Pittsburgh, I’m sure many listeners are aware of the nonprofits and agencies, and other groups that do projects across the region. ALCOSAN [Allegheny County Sanitary Authority] has a big tunnel system that they’re currently developing over the next decade to reduce sewage overflows. Groups up and down the river do restoration projects.
People…want to be able to trust the water that they engage with, whether it’s the water coming out of their tap or the water in the streams that their children and their dogs play in.
Without sustained federal coordination and investment, we’re never going to see the types of gains that they do in places like the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake Bay and the San Francisco Bay, which are some of the areas around the country that actually receive dedicated federal dollars, and, almost more importantly, the coordination that comes with them.
So having the government be the central convener of states, federal agencies, universities and nonprofit groups ensures that things are done at scale rather than piecemeal.
Reid Frazier: A lot of public meetings were held across the watershed to learn what people wanted in preparation for the release of this report. What did they say they want, and how is that reflected in the plan?
Jonathan Burgess: One of the things that people really want is they want to be able to trust the water that they engage with, whether it’s the water coming out of their tap or the water in the streams that their children and their dogs play in.
Americans, no matter where they’re from or what their political beliefs are, recognize the value and the quality of life that comes with clean water and a healthy environment.
So that takes two approaches. One is making sure that the laws that we have in place now are being enforced properly. And on the flip side, making sure the communities across the nation and particularly across this basin have the funding and resources necessary to make infrastructure improvements, public green space investments and other types of economic development activities that can make their communities vibrant, make people want to stay there, make businesses want to relocate there and make families happy and healthy up and down the river.
Reid Frazier: How will climate change impact the Ohio River basin, and what problems does it pose to the river’s overall health?
Jonathan Burgess: Climate change is a big uncertainty. Obviously, with the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen the damage that severe storms can have. Flooding has killed several people across the greater region, including in West Virginia to our south, landslides, damage to infrastructure, damage to homes. These things are only going to continue and potentially get worse as severe weather patterns change.
You’re really not choosing not to spend money now or versus not spending money later, you’re just choosing to spend it when it’s more efficient, because things will continue to happen whether we like it or not.
One of the things we need to be able to do is invest money now. When it will cost less versus investing money later when things will be more expensive. So one of the cases that the plan makes is that you’re really not choosing not to spend money now or versus not spending money later, you’re just choosing to spend it when it’s more efficient, because things will continue to happen whether we like it or not. They’re only going to get more expensive if we’re trying to fix them after the fact.
Reid Frazier: So what comes next for this plan?
Jonathan Burgess: This plan is a case statement. What it does is it lays out all the ways in which restoration and direct federal coordination and funding would benefit our region, what the problems are, what the opportunities are.
The next step is federal legislation to create that convening center and lay the groundwork for appropriations. So we need the authorization followed by the appropriation at the federal government, [with] the Great Lakes being a similar example.
There’s currently legislation, which, locally, Representative DeLuzio is a co-sponsor of, but is being led by Morgan McGarvey of Louisville, who’s a Democrat, and a Republican, Erin Houchin of southern Indiana. That builds the foundation for this investment.
We’re focused right now on getting feedback on the plan in its semi-final form. By the end of the summer, rolling that out to our representatives and others in D.C. We’re organizing a [Capitol] Hill Day in September for all of the groups that are aligned with this plan across the multiple-state region. We’re going to be pushing for this foundational legislation so that we can then fight for appropriations.
I think that process is one that we’ve seen be successful elsewhere in other river basins across the country. Particularly with the economic, political and social value of these midwestern states and southern states in the basin, I think within the next several years, we have a shot at not just getting something approved, but getting dollars out there into communities, making a difference.
Jonathan Burgess is the Director of the Water Collaboratory at the University of Pittsburgh. The plan will be available for public comment until July 18th. There are public meetings throughout the watershed to discuss the plan in the coming weeks.
