Nature of Activity: Clermont County is studying and developing county-wide water quality management strategies that may include effluent trading. The County is facing increasing development and forecasts that water quality in the East Fork of the Little Miami River and the Harsha Reservoir may be threatened. Nonpoint sources now account for roughly 70% of the loads into the river (though this varies with wet and dry weather)and they are largely unregulated. The lesser contribution from point sources is thoroughly regulated. The watershed management plan may include effluent trading as a way of encouraging nonpoint source reductions. A U.S. EPA Cooperative Agreement with the Institute for Conservation Leadership, a not-for-profit organization, has distributed funds to an independent contractor to develop a quality assurance plan to enhance water quality data collection efforts, as well as to help define the use of the data in decision making  Environmental Problem: Increasing development is threatening water quality in the East Fork of the Little Miami River and Harsha Lake Reservoir.

Pollutant(s) / Pollution Type(s): Phosphorus.

Trade Types: Point/nonpoint.

Stage of Implementation: The project has been under discussion and data has been gathered for three years. A study of the potential effect of restoring and/or protecting riparian corridors is currently ongoing, but the effluent trading component is still largely in a conceptual stage. A series of meetings and discussions between various governmental agencies is planned for the end of 1999 and the beginning of 2000 to begin to address effluent trading more substantively. Little Miami, Inc., a local advocacy group, has started working with landowners in the Little Miami Watershed (which includes the East Fork).

Relation to TMDL: None.

Number of Potential Participants: There are four major point sources and several minor point sources in the area. U.S. EPA, Ohio EPA, and Clermont County are the major governmental stakeholders.

Trading Ratios: Not yet discussed.

Estimated Cost Savings: Not yet determined.

Available Written Information: A preliminary report on the riparian corridor restoration study is available in the Little Miami Journal. Other materials are available on the Project XL web site and Clermont County’s Office of Environmental Quality web site.

Innovative Aspects: The County is developing a computer model to predict changes in water quality due to changes in land use. The model will help the County in its planning and zoning decisions. Based on the model, the County may also revise or develop ordinances regarding subdivisions, sediment and erosion control, and sewer and water systems.

Obstacles: Unknown.

Web Sites: Little Miami: http://www.epa.gov/surf2/hucs/05090202/

Clermont County: http://www.co.clermont.oh.us

Project XL: http://yosemite.epa.gov/xl/xl_home.nsf/all/clermont.html

Little Miami, Inc.: http://www.littlemiami.com/

Contact: Wayne Gorski, EPA Region 5. (312) 886-0140, gorski.wayne@epamail.epa.gov

Lisa Reiter, EPA Office of Reinvention. (202) 260-9041, reiter.lisa@epa.gov

Paul Braasch , Clermont County Office of Environmental Quality. (513) 732-7745, pbraasch@clermont.co.oh.us