Published: June 06, 2008 10:21 am      

Survey will study Ohio River usage

Group researching recreational activities to determine water-quality standards

Kayakers, tubers, boaters, fishers, skiers and swimmers — the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission is looking for you.

The multistate commission, often known as ORSANCO, will spend the next month conducting a survey of recreational uses of the Ohio River.

“The purpose of the study is to provide ORSANCO with good and accurate information on human uses and associated contact with Ohio River water,” said Alan Vicory, executive director of the commission.

The data will better inform the commission in its efforts to develop appropriate water-quality standards.

“We don't know just how many people are using the river for recreation, where and when,” he said.

The study also will seek to identify explanations for why some choose not to use the river for such purposes.

The idea for the study goes back to 2006, when the commission attempted to lower bacteria standards when the river was moving more than 2 mph, said Jason Heath, program manager for the commission. At the time, officials argued that people are not supposed to be in contact with the river when it's moving that fast anyway.

Dropping the standards during those periods was proposed as a means of saving money for cities and towns along the river, which spend a combined billions to keep the river free of pollutants.

“One of the comments we got from the public (at the time) was that we didn’t define how much recreational use was taking place,” he said.

The proposal was eventually dropped following the public-comment sessions. One of the hearings was held in Louisville. There, residents also expressed concern about how people would know when the standards have been lowered.

The commission tests the water for E. coli. The standard is 240 E. coli colonies per 100-milliliter sample, said Heath. There was a proposal that would have raised the standard to 400 colonies per sample.

The commission reviews and revises its bacteria standards every three years, Heath said. Both of those proposals could be back up for consideration depending on the findings of the recreational-use survey.

“We want to let the survey drive the standards,” he said. “It could be more stringent, it could be less stringent.”

The survey will be conducted randomly and by phone. Five thousand people will be called from counties along the Ohio River and as far away as 100 miles.

Results of the survey will be applied to U.S. Census Bureau data to provide a comprehensive estimate of the population using the Ohio River for recreation. Heath noted that field surveys would be done after the phone calls are made as a means of validating the survey’s results.