Great Miami River Watershed Water Quality Credit Trading Program

Although tremendous improvements in surface water quality were made over the last three decades within the Great Miami River Watershed, over 40% of the rivers and streams still fail to meet Ohio’s water quality standards. The remaining impairment originates primarily from nonpoint source pollution and includes nutrient enrichment, excess sediment, and altered Habitat. The Watershed is a significant source of nutrients to the Ohio River and the Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of this project is to implement a water quality trading program as an innovative approach to address these water quality challenges. Interest in water quality credit trading in the Watershed grew from facilitated discussions which identified the common goals of producers and point source wastewater treatment plants. An extensive economic and market analysis of the viability of a trading program in the Great Miami River Watershed indicated a potential savings of over $350 million for communities with nearly $40 million dollars of new money for investments in agricultural BMPs.