Harry Stone, Ph.D., Chairperson, Ohio River Basin Alliance Steering Committee

Past, Present, and Future

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ORBA’s Mission: Maintain a successful collaboration that

will recommend strategies and coordinate actions to

address complex water resource challenges and priorities

with a unified voice.

2

ORBA’s Guiding Principles

• Include all ORB stakeholders

• Leverage existing authorities,

resources & capabilities to

accomplish ORBA’s goals

• Capitalize on existing

collaborations

• Do not impede or infringe on the

mission of any other organization

ORBA’s Goals

• Determine & regularly re-

assess Basin’s priorities

• Get Basin stakeholders to

discuss & collaborate on

issues

• Inform ORB Congressional

Caucus on critical issues

• Develop, coordinate and

deliver projects safely & timely

PAST: 2018

3

ORBA 2018 Efforts and

Accomplishments• Collaborative Meetings: ORSANCO, ORFMT, USACE, Silver Jackets, OKI Regional

Council of Governments, Buckeye Hills Regional Council (UORUG), IRPT, Headwaters

Resource Council, ORBCRE, TRVA/TCWC

• Funding Initiatives: ORSANCO/FORE/ORBA Heinz Endowments $200k; regional

forest-related recreation concept, State Foresters (OH, PA, WV) USFS FY19

Landscape Restoration Grant; budget package through USACE for FY 20 President’s

Budget; USACE/KY/ORSANCO/ORBA PAS $400k (KY/DOW - Goodman)

• Presentations & Workshops: “Precipitation Changes and Related Strategies for

Western Pennsylvania” (TNC/Sustainable Pittsburgh/USACE/ORBA); “Ohio River

Headwaters: Local Issues and National Significance” Panel (UCoWR/NIWRC,

PA);“Benthic Cyanobacteria & Cyanotoxins Workshop” (USEPA/USACE - Lazorchak)

• 13th Collaborative Summit: “Partnerships and Collaborations toward a Single Voice

for the Ohio River Basin” (Thomas More University - Lorentz)

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PRESENT

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Officers & Working Group Leaders

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Brian Farkas (WV), Treasurer

West Virginia Conservation Agency

Richard Harrison (OH), Working

Group Leader for Water Quality,

Availability, & Management

Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation

Commission

Harry Stone, Ph. D. (OH), Vice-

Chairperson, Working Group

Leader for Sustainable Growth &

Competitiveness

Chuck Somerville, Ph.D.

(WV), Chairperson

Marshall University

Sarah Hippensteel Hall, Ph.D.

(OH), Working Group Leader for

Restoration and Protection

Miami Conservancy District,

Kari Mackenbach, (OH),

Working Group Leader for

Enterprise & Infrastructure.

ms consultants, inc.,

Steering Committee Members

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Ron Brooks (KY)

Kentucky Department of

Fish and Wildlife

Resources

Laurel L. Cornell, Ph.D.

(IN)

Ohio River Parks Project

and Indiana University

Martin T. Hettel (IN)

American Commercial

Barge Lines

Carey Johnson (KY)

Kentucky Division of

Water

Chris Lorentz, Ph.D. (KY)

Thomas More University

Heather Mayfield (OH)

Foundation for Ohio River

Education

Robin Peak (TN)

Tennessee Valley Authority

Mike Steinmaus

(OH)

Owner and Operator,

Wildwood Inn and

Llama Farm

Jeff Thomas (OH)

Electric Power

Research Institute

John M.S. King (WV)

West Virginia

Department of

Environmental

Protection

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ORBA: Toward an Ohio River Basin-

wide Strategy

• Maintain Authorized River Pools - abundant water

for navigation, other human needs and ecological

flows

• Feed the Farms, Starve the Streams - agriculture,

HABS, anoxic zones, pollutants, water quality

• Sustain Healthy Ecosystems and Vibrant

Economies - restore and protect healthy

ecosystems; enhance efficiency; grow river

commerce; increase safe nature-based recreation

• Stop Invasions - invasive species

introduction/impact

• Learn Things, Communicate, and Prepare for

Future - floods, droughts, population impacts,

disruptive technologies, infrastructure disruptions

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Research and Education

Climate Change

Adaptation

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Research and Education

Inland Waterways

Users Board

Upper Ohio River User

Group

Climate Change Adaptation

Hypoxia Task

Force

Ohio River

Basin-wide

CollaborationOhio River Fisheries

Management Team

Abundant Clean WaterEnsure the quality and quantity of water in the Ohio River Basin is

adequate to support the economic, social and environmental functions that

are dependent on it.

• Regional Water Quality Monitoring and Protection:

ORSANCO

• Platform for Ohio River Basin Data and

Communication: ORSANCO and USACE

• Harmful Algal Blooms: USEPA Hypoxia Task Force;

ORSANCO

• Strategic Collaborative Documents: Mississippi River/

Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force 2017

Report to Congress; Integrated Water Resources Science and Services

Ohio River Basin Stakeholder Report 2014

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Provide reliable flood protection and risk reduction through well-managed and maintained infrastructure, including appropriate floodplain connections for water conveyance and ecosystem benefits, and management of surface and storm water runoff to better protect life, property and economies.

• Collaboration: Silver Jackets

• Strategic Collaborative Documents: Pending USACE/LRD funding multi-state Silver Jackets workshop (2019)

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Reliable Flood Control &

Risk Reduction

Healthy, Efficient Economy

Sustain a water use system to efficiently and

effectively support agricultural, industrial and energy

productivity.

• Collaboration: Nascent regional collaboration

among state/local development organizations

• Strategic Collaborative Documents: None

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Healthy, Productive

EcosystemsConserve, enhance and restore ecosystems within the

ORB to support natural habitats and the fish and

wildlife resources that depend upon them.

• Collaboration: Ohio River Basin Fish Habitat

Partnership; Ohio River Fisheries Management

Team (ORFMT); Ohio River Foundation (ORF)

• Strategic Collaborative Documents: The Ohio

River Basin Fish Habitat Partnership Strategic Plan;

Ohio River Basin Asian Carp Control Strategy

Framework (ORFMT); A Framework for the

Ecosystem Restoration of the Ohio River and Its

Watershed (ORF)

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World-Class Recreation

Enrich the quality of life for people and recreation-

based economies by maintaining and enhancing

riverine, lake and wetland-associated recreation

within the basin.

• Collaboration: Appalachian Regional

Commission (ARC)

• Strategic Collaborative Documents:

Investing in Appalachia’s Future - ARC’s

Five-Year Strategic Plan 2016 - 2020

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TransportationProvide for safe, efficient and dependable commercial navigation

within the ORB to ensure a competitive advantage for our goods in global markets.

• Collaboration: Inland Waterways Users Board; Upper Ohio River Users Group; Appalachian Regional Commission; Central Ohio River Business Association; Tennessee River Valley Association; Tennessee-Cumberland Waterways Council

• Strategic Collaborative Documents: Inland Waterways Users Board 30th Annual Report (2017)

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Inland Waterways

Users Board

Upper Ohio River

User Group

Research & Education

Ensure that research and education in the Ohio River Basin

adequately informs regional economic, social, and

environmental decisions; and

Enhance the profile of education organizations in the basin

and synergize program efforts in order to garner effective

public involvement in the stewardship and management of the

Basin’s resources.

• Collaboration: Ohio River Basin Consortium for Research

and Education; Foundation for Ohio River Education; Center

for Ohio River Research and Education at Thomas More

College

• Strategic Collaborative Documents: White Paper for Ohio

River Basin Alliance (ORBCE)

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Climate Change

AdaptationEnsure that knowledge and communication of regional system changes enable

timely adaptation of Basin-wide strategies related to ecosystem protection and

restoration; development; infrastructure; and water resources management.

• Collaboration: USACE, ORBA, Institute for Water Resources, U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Weather Service, The

Nature Conservatory, Battelle, Marshall University, University of New

Hampshire, University of Cincinnati. (Formal study team disbanded; member

organizations and many team members remain involved in effort to raise

public awareness and implement adaptation strategies.)

• Strategic Collaborative Documents: Drum, R. G., et al. (2017). Ohio River

Basin–Formulating Climate Change Mitigation/Adaptation Strategies

Through Regional Collaboration with the ORB Alliance. U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers, Institute for Water Resources: Alexandria, VA

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Ohio River Basin Priorities

• Maintain Authorized River Pools

• Feed the Farms, Starve the Streams

• Stop Invasions

• Sustain Healthy Ecosystems and Vibrant

Economies

• Learn Things, Communicate, and Prepare for

Future

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FUTURE: 2019 - 2020

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Chair’s Perspective

ORBA Goals: 2019 - 2020• Secure and execute $400k study to develop a consensus-

based Ohio River Basin-wide strategy before 2021

• Hold annual ORB Summits to engage Basin stakeholders in

collaboration to clarify and revise priorities and to realize the

strategic action plan

• Plan and execute coordinated annual events for educating the

ORB Congressional Caucus on ORB priorities and strategies

• Lead or support efforts to secure $5 million prior to 2021 for

states, Federal agencies, and organizations to deliver projects

consistent with the collaborative OR Basin-wide strategy

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Ohio River Basin Alliance

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United in Vision,

Strategy, Voice