As much as 4 inches of rain fell over the previous 48 hours – with more in the forecast for this evening and the overnight hours. Currently, three of the Miami Conservancy District dams are storing water that otherwise would flood cities along the Great Miami River.
Riverfront communities are protected from flooding by the Miami Conservancy District’s integrated system of dams, storage basins, levees, floodwalls, and other infrastructure.
The Englewood, Lockington, and Taylorsville dams are currently storing water and floodgates have been closed in Piqua, Troy, and Hamilton. The pump station in Piqua was operated to manage stormwater runoff.
City stormwater systems collect runoff from city streets and parking lots and drain it to the river, through Miami Conservancy District levees. Floodgates installed near the end of storm sewer pipes remain open except when Miami Conservancy District or the city responsible closes them to prevent a rising Great Miami River from flowing through the storm sewer into cities.
Because the Great Miami River and its larger tributaries are still on the rise, Miami Conservancy District is actively monitoring conditions including rainfall, river levels, groundwater levels, and whether action is needed at additional flood gates.
Storage at the dams begins when the water rises above the conduits (concrete outlets) at the base of the earthen dam. During times of normal flow, the river passes through the dam unimpeded. There are no permanent pools of water behind the dams, which is why they are called "dry dams." The conduits in each dam are sized to allow the amount of water to flow through the dam that the river channels in the protected cities below can safely handle within their banks. Floodwater is stored in the basins upstream of the dams.
Local parks, roads, and private lands upstream of each dam may be covered in water temporarily, so residents should be cautious when driving.
Local flood warnings for Miami, Montgomery, Warren, and Butler counties normally refer to areas not protected by Miami Conservancy District levees, including low-lying areas along smaller streams, streets and parking lots drained through municipal storm sewers, and parks.
This marks more than 2,148 times one of Miami Conservancy District’s dams have stored floodwater since the system was completed in 1922.
MCD’s flood protection system significantly reduces flood risk for riverfront cities along the Great Miami River. Following the 1913 Flood, the Miami Conservancy District designed the integrated flood protection system you see along the Great Miami River and tributaries. For nearly 100 years, these structures have protected cities from dangerous and destructive floodwaters.
