Ohio River Watershed

LOJIC Disclaimer

The Ohio River Watershed is approximately 40 squares miles. The almost entirely impervious area of downtown Louisville, Portland and West Louisville discharge surface water directly to the Ohio River. For all practical purposes, the Ohio River watershed area is void of any streams. Most sewers within the Ohio River watershed are combined sewers. During low or moderate flow, the water from these sewers is treated at the Morris Forman Wastewater Treatment Plant (MFWTP). These combined sewers discharge to the Ohio River, through Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), when rain events occur. There is an ongoing project between MSD, ORSANCO and several other agencies to assess the impact to the Ohio River from storm water runoff and CSO discharges. There is little that can be done, besides education and CSO mitigation, to manage surface water in this area. The state does list the Ohio River as an impaired stream for recreational uses including both swimming and fishing. Fish have been shown to contain both PCB’s and Chlordane.

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