MIAMITOWN, Ohio — Communities living along the Great Miami River could be in store for a historic weekend when it comes to weather, according to officials monitoring the forecast.
"This kind of an event is what we would call maybe somewhere between a five-year and a 25-year event," said Mike Ekberg, Miami Conservancy District (MCD) hydrologist. "A five-year event has a 20% chance of occurring in any given year, (a) 25-year event has about a 4% chance of occurring in any given year."
As of Friday afternoon, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Great Miami River at Miamitown water levels sat at 17.29 feet.
Per MCD, the following Miami Conservancy District dams have been storing water:
- Germantown Dam
- Englewood Dam
- Lockington Dam
- Taylorsville Dam
- Huffman Dam
"(MCD) keeps the Great Miami River from coming up out of its banks and flooding those areas," Ekberg said. "It's important that we continue to get the funding that we need to maintain this system. And like any system, we work hard to maintain it."
It is currently expected to crest around 26.5 feet over the weekend, per NOAA, which is three and a half feet below the major flooding stage. At the moderate flood stage, people can expect some inundation of structures and roads near stream.
"We're going to have really high and swift water on the Great Miami River," Ekberg said. "We've seen a lot of runoff. River levels and streams have come up rapidly."
Whitewater Township Fire crews monitored conditions and patrolled affected spots on the west side Friday.
"It's nothing new for this area this time of the year — heavy rains, spring, early spring — storms do bring the Great Miami River and the Whitewater River up out of their banks," White Water Township Fire Chief Scott Schorsch said.
Schorsch said residents living in at-risk areas should prepare by moving items from low-lying areas, like patio furniture and yard equipment.
"We also have the Whitewater River over on the west side of the township, and we will see a little bit more impact over there," said Schorsch. "Flooding does get up into some yards, to surround some mobile homes."
