By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
Go ahead – drink the water. It’s OK. Richard Harrison says you have nothing to worry about.
Harrison is the Executive Director of the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO).
ORSANCO is the water pollution control agency for the Ohio River and its tributaries. An interstate agency, according to Harrison, ORSANCO represents the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the federal government.
Harrison assured all in attendance at Covington Rotary Club meeting recently that all is fine with our drinking water.
Richard Harrison of ORSANCO, speaking to Rotary. (Photo by Andy Furman/NKyTribune)
The Ohio River, Harrison noted, has played a critical role in the industrial growth of the United States by serving as a major transportation route and providing a plentiful source of water.
“An unfortunate side effect of this growth,” Harrison told the Northern Kentucky Tribune, “has been a significant pollution challenge.”
By 1934, he said, the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce recognized that the deplorable state of the Ohio River was unfavorable for economic growth and the effort to establish an interstate compact to control pollution in the river began. In 1948, legislatures of member states had approved the document and the formal; signing of the Compact by Governors and appointment of Commissioners from the member states took place in Cincinnati on June 30.
The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) was created through the Compact to control and abate interstate water pollution in the Ohio River Basin. “ORSANCO monitors and evaluates Ohio River water quality on behalf of its member states,” Harrison said. “ORSANCO helps facilitate the work of numerous stakeholders that include state and federal agencies, drinking water utilities, wastewater utilities, watershed organizations, industries and other entities.”
Harrison says ORSANCO’s greatest strengths and successes can be attributed to its ability to collaborate and work efficiently with the Commission’s numerous partners, committees, and stakeholders.
“ORSANCO is able to complete extensive water quality programs such as comprehensive surface water quality characterization and assessment’s spill monitoring and response, aquatic life and habitat monitoring and evaluation; bacterial determinations for contact recreation, and public information and educational outreach targeting underserved communities,” said Harrison, a nine-year ORSANCO employee.
“Basically,” he said, “We work on water quality, water pollution and control. With waste on the river, we’re losing a great treasure.”
The Ohio River is 981 miles, from Pittsburgh to Cairo, and is the drinking water source for five million people.
The Ohio River has 160 species of fish; rich in mussels. The river has 20 locks and dams for flood control and navigation; and is a tremendous recreational water resource.
Add 42 electrical power generating plants – and let us not forget some 185 million tons of cargo is transported annually on the great Ohio.
ORSANCO programs basically include: Source Water Protection, Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment, Biological Programs (fish aquatic life), and Public Involvement Programs (Ohio River Sweep).
The Ohio River is one of the most diverse rivers in the country from an ecological perspective, Harrison pointed out – and arguably one of the most resilient.
Despite impacts from locks and dams, the river thrives; supporting fish and wildlife.
In the past 75 years, according to Harrison, the river has undergone significant water quality improvements.
So, drink up – it’s safe.
