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Posted: March 20, 2020
Great Miami River rises 5 to 10 feet in two days
The Great Miami River in Dayton and Hamilton is up about 5 to 10 feet, respectively, since earlier this week. Last night the Miami Valley received between 0.7 and 2.3 inches of precipitation, with a few locations receiving more than 3 inches.
MCD’s flood protection system of dams and levees is working as designed, preventing floodwaters from affecting downtowns along the river from Piqua to Hamilton.
Four of MCD dams – Germantown, Englewood, Lockington, and Huffman – are temporarily storing floodwaters. Storage begins when the water levels rise to near the top of the conduits (concrete openings) at the dams.
Storage at MCD’s dams is expected to crest today, except Englewood, which is expected to crest tomorrow.
MCD staff continues to monitor river levels and take action as necessary. Staff closed storm sewer floodgates in West Carrollton, Miamisburg, Franklin, Middletown, and Hamilton overnight. Cities have storm sewer pipes running through MCD levees that drain city streets to the river. Floodgates built at the end of storm sewers remain open except when they are closed to prevent a rising Great Miami River from backing up into the storm sewer and into cities.
COVID 19 precautions
MCD employees who operate, maintain and inspect the dams and levees are essential workers. They have continued to work throughout the COVID-19 emergency, but MCD has established new procedures for their safety:
- Only one staff member may be in a vehicle at any time.
- Staff must disinfect all equipment after use or when switching operators.
- Staff is not to gather at any of MCD’s facilities/garages. If more than one person must work out of a garage at the same time, staff is to stay as far apart as possible.
- Postpone any non-essential work that requires more than one person.
MCD’s flood protection system significantly reduces flood risk for riverfront cities along the Great Miami River. Following the 1913 Flood, MCD engineers designed the dry dams and levees you see along the Great Miami River. For nearly 100 years, these structures have protected cities from Piqua to Hamilton.