Five dams. A century of protection. The work ahead.
A lot has changed in the Miami Valley in 100 years. We still depend on the same five dams.
Together with levees, floodwalls, channels, and storage basins, those dams form the Miami Conservancy District’s regional flood protection system. Generations have built homes, opened businesses, and made their lives here with that system working upstream and along our riverfronts.
Keeping it dependable takes daily attention, major repairs, and long-term financial planning. The new 2025–2026 edition of The Deed, MCD’s report to the Miami Valley, explains that work and what comes next.
Under the theme “Protecting What Protects Us,” the publication looks at flood protection investments, the proposed funding update, and MCD’s work to care for the region’s water and river corridors.
Read the new edition of The Deed.
Much of flood protection happens outside public view. Caretakers inspect structures. Engineers investigate deterioration and design repairs. Crews maintain the system and respond when rivers rise.
Some of the infrastructure they care for has served the region for more than a century. Aging concrete, pipes, and other structures require rehabilitation beyond routine maintenance.
The Deed follows a concrete floor repair inside Germantown Dam and outlines the first phase of MCD’s planned capital improvements: $36.8 million in work from 2025 through 2032. MCD prioritizes projects based on risk, infrastructure condition, regulatory requirements, available funding, and readiness for construction.
The publication also explains how the five dry dams work, why land upstream temporarily stores floodwater, and how floodgates along levees help prevent river water from backing into communities.
These structures work together. Maintaining them helps reduce flood risk for the people and places that depend on the system.
Flood protection benefits extend beyond the properties closest to the river. People also depend on protected roads, utilities, employers, hospitals, and emergency services.
An economic study commissioned as part of MCD’s Seventh Readjustment of the Appraisal of Benefits estimates that the system provides approximately $7.74 billion in avoided flood damage and disruption over 50 years, expressed in 2024 dollars.
That figure estimates the value of flood protection. It is not an amount MCD proposes to collect.
The readjustment examines which properties benefit from the system and how those benefits are distributed. The proposed approach considers a property’s contribution to stormwater runoff and the level of flood protection benefit it receives.
Rain that runs off roofs, driveways, parking lots, and other surfaces moves through the watershed into streams and rivers. The proposal considers that contribution alongside the benefits of flood protection when distributing costs.
MCD’s system manages river flooding. Local street drainage and storm sewer problems involve different infrastructure and responsibilities.
An appraisal of benefits and an annual assessment serve different purposes.
The appraisal establishes the basis for a property’s share of flood protection costs. The assessment is the amount collected to operate, maintain, and improve the system.
The proposed approach recognizes three levels of benefit:
Primary benefits: Direct protection of property from flood damage.
Secondary benefits: Protection of critical services, such as water, electricity, hospitals, and emergency response.
Regional benefits: Reduced disruption to transportation, businesses, public safety, and the regional economy.
Properties can receive more than one level of benefit. Receiving a regional benefit does not, by itself, mean a property is in a flood hazard area.
The readjustment process includes public notice, an opportunity for property owners to review their appraisals and file exceptions, and Conservancy Court review. The proposed approach remains subject to the required approval process.
For current information about the proposal, assessment calculations, and the review process, visit Flood Protection Funding & Seventh Readjustment.
The Deed includes a financial overview explaining how MCD manages public funds and plans for major repairs.
MCD phases capital projects over time and pursues grants and other funding to help reduce the amount needed from local assessments. Grants support particular projects and do not replace the ongoing funding needed to operate and maintain the entire flood protection system.
The publication also covers water stewardship and recreation. Those programs have separate funding arrangements: MCD’s Main District funds flood protection, while the Aquifer Preservation and River Corridor Improvement subdistricts fund their respective work. These funds are not interchangeable.
The Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer supplies nearly all of the region’s drinking water. The Deed explores the connections between small streams and groundwater, along with MCD’s work to bring water resource information into decisions about growth and new demands on water.
Readers will also find stories about the Great Miami River’s fish populations, trail improvements, and partnerships working to close gaps in the Great Miami River Recreation Trail.
These efforts support the everyday life of the region, from the water coming out of a faucet to a walk or bike ride along the river.
Explore the new edition for a closer look at what MCD is maintaining, what needs attention, and how the work serves southwest Ohio.
Read The Deed for stories and project updates.
Learn about flood protection funding and the Seventh Readjustment for current information about the proposed funding approach.
Explore MCD’s funding sources to understand how the different programs are funded.
The complete 2025 Annual Report is also available on the publications page for readers seeking detailed operational, project, and financial information.
Questions? Contact the Miami Conservancy District at [email protected].
