Editing Miami Conservancy District

{{Short description|River management agency in Ohio}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2020}}
[[File:Miami Conservancy District Building, Dayton, Ohio.jpg|thumb|262x262px|Miami Conservancy District Building (1915), 38 East Monument Avenue, Dayton, Ohio]]
The '''Miami Conservancy District''' is a river management agency operating in Southwest [[Ohio]] to control flooding of the [[Great Miami River]] and its tributaries.  It was organized in 1915 following the catastrophic [[Great Dayton Flood]] of the Great Miami River in March 1913, which hit [[Dayton, Ohio]] particularly hard.  Designed by [[Arthur Ernest Morgan]], the Miami Conservancy District built [[levee]]s, straightened the river channel throughout the [[Miami Valley (Ohio)|Miami Valley]], and built five [[dry dam]]s on various tributaries to control flooding.  The district and its projects are unusual in that they were funded almost entirely by local tax initiatives, unlike similar projects elsewhere which were funded by the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] and coordinated by the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]].

==Historical perspective==

The 1913 flood has been ascribed{{by whom|date=October 2014}} in part to the 1912 eruption of [[Mount Katmai]] and its daughter volcano Novarupta in Alaska.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}} In one of the greatest recorded volcanic events, Novarupta emitted enough fine ash into the atmosphere to block sunlight and cool the climate of the Northern Hemisphere that winter.

The success of the Miami Conservancy District helped to inspire the development of the much larger [[Tennessee Valley Authority]] during the [[Great Depression]]. The district was designated as a [[National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark]] by the [[American Society of Civil Engineers]] in 1972.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 15, 1972 |title=Miami Conservancy District Designated Civil Landmark |work=[[Hamilton JournalNews|The Journal News]] |location=Hamilton, Ohio |page=51}}</ref>

==Dams==

The district manages five [[dry dam]]s. They are [[hydraulic fill]] dams constructed from 1919 to 1922 using [[fill trestle]]s.

===Englewood Dam===

Located near [[Englewood, Ohio|Englewood]], Englewood dam is the largest of the dams maintained by the district.  It regulates the flow of the [[Stillwater River (Ohio)|Stillwater River]] into the [[Great Miami River]].  It consists of {{convert|3500000|cuyd|m3}} of earth, is {{convert|110|ft|m}} high and stretches {{convert|4716|ft|m}}.  [[U.S. Route 40 in Ohio|U.S. Route 40]] crosses the top of the dam.  The dam can contain {{convert|209,000|acre.ft|m3}} of flood water over {{convert|6350|acre|km2|0}}.  It was constructed in 1919 and consists of as much earth as the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]].

===Germantown Dam===

Located near [[Germantown, Ohio|Germantown]], Germantown Dam regulates the flow of [[Twin creek (Ohio)|Twin Creek]] into the [[Great Miami River]]. It consists of {{convert|865000|cuyd|m3}} of earth, is {{convert|100|ft|m}} high and {{convert|1210|ft|m}} wide.  The dam can contain {{convert|73,000|acre.ft|m3}} of flood water over {{convert|2950|acre|km2}} (12&nbsp;km²).  It was constructed in 1920.

===Huffman Dam===

Located near [[Fairborn, Ohio|Fairborn]], Huffman Dam regulates the flow of the [[Mad River (Ohio)|Mad River]] into the [[Great Miami River]].  It consists of {{convert|1,665,000|cuyd|m3}} of earth, is {{convert|65|ft|m}} high and spans {{convert|3340|ft|m}}.  The dam can contain {{convert|124,000|acre.ft|m3}} of flood water over {{convert|7300|acre|km2}}.

{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 200
| header            = Huffman Dam
| image1            = Ohio - Fairfield - NARA - 68146797.jpg
| alt1              = Huffman Dam in 1927
| caption1          = 1927
| image2            = Huffman Dam.jpg
| alt2              = Huffman Dam in 2022
| caption2          = 2022
}}
===Lockington Dam===

Located north of [[Piqua, Ohio|Piqua]] outside the village of [[Lockington, Ohio|Lockington]], Lockington dam regulates the flow of [[Loramie Creek (Ohio)|Loramie Creek]] into the [[Great Miami River]].  It consists of {{convert|1,135,000|cuyd|m3}} of earth, is {{convert|69|ft|m}} high and spans {{convert|6400|ft|m}}.  The dam can contain {{convert|63,000|acre.ft|m3}} of flood water over {{convert|3,600|acre|km2}} (15&nbsp;km²).  It was constructed in 1919.

===Taylorsville Dam===

Located near [[Vandalia, Ohio|Vandalia]], Taylorsville Dam regulates the [[Great Miami River]].  It consists of {{convert|1,235,000|cuyd|m3}} of earth, is {{convert|67|ft|m}} high and spans {{convert|2980|ft|m}}.  When full, the dam would inundate {{convert|9,650|acre|km2}} (39&nbsp;km²).  It was constructed in 1919.  [[U.S. Route 40|US 40]] also runs across this dam.

==Recreation==
The Miami Conservancy District (MCD) actively promotes and develops recreational amenities throughout the Great Miami River Watershed. MCD owns and/or maintains an extensive recreation trail system (nearly 34 miles) throughout Montgomery County. The trail system is part of a network of 340 miles of multi-use, paved path<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.miamivalleytrails.org/about|title=About &#124; Miami Valley Bike Trails}}</ref> that connect [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]] east to [[Xenia, Ohio|Xenia]] and near [[Chillicothe, Ohio|Chillicothe]] and [[London, Ohio|London]], south to [[Franklin, Ohio|Franklin]], west to near [[Greenville, Ohio|Greenville]], and north to [[Piqua, Ohio|Piqua]].<ref>https://www.mcdwater.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/TRAILS_MAP_2017-WEB.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>

MCD maintains several boat ramps to encourage recreation on the Great Miami River Watershed waterways. MCD also offers river recreation maps to the Great Miami, Mad and Stillwater rivers which make up the national and state-designated Great Miami River Watershed Water Trail – the largest water trail system in Ohio. The trail collectively offers 291 miles of waterway accessible to recreational boaters, fishermen and wildlife watchers.

Low dams: MCD owns three low dams. Only Two-mile Dam in Hamilton is part of the flood protection system. The other low dams create a pool of water upstream of each dam for recreation, including boating and fishing. The cities of [[Hamilton, Ohio|Hamilton]], [[West Carrollton, Ohio|West Carrollton]], and [[Moraine, Ohio|Moraine]] pay an assessment for MCD to maintain the recreational dams.

RiverWalk: The Dayton RiverWalk runs along the levee-top between the Main Street Bridge and the Monument Avenue (Dayton View) Bridge on each side of the Great Miami River. The total length of the lighted, crushed gravel walkway loop, including the two bridges, is about 1 mile. The walkway is easily accessible from the end of either bridge.

All of these projects were constructed and are maintained by funds separate from flood protection or groundwater assessments. Assessments to cities – as well as grants and other revenue sources – pay for the construction and maintenance of MCD recreation amenities.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.mcdwater.org Miami Conservancy District Homepage]
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=lehEAAAAMAAJ The Miami Valley and the 1913 Flood, State of Ohio, Miami Conservancy District, Arthur E. Morgan, Chief Engineer, Technical Reports Part I, 1917]
*[http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1DG3C_what-a-dam-sight What a Dam Sight (Geocaching.com)]
*[https://www.asce.org/about-civil-engineering/history-and-heritage/historic-landmarks/miami-conservancy-district Miami Conservancy District (ASCE)]

[[Category:Greene County, Ohio]]
[[Category:Miami County, Ohio]]
[[Category:Montgomery County, Ohio]]
[[Category:Shelby County, Ohio]]
[[Category:Warren County, Ohio]]
[[Category:Dams in Ohio]]
[[Category:Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks]]