Rivers Unlimited

Founded in 1972

515 Wyoming Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45215
Phone: 513.761.4003
Fax: 513.761.4988

River Resource Economic Studies

• Ohio River Study Launching

With the support of the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD), Ohio State University is undertaking an economic valuation of the area’s stretch of the Ohio River.  The study will ascertain the economic benefits (in real estate, tourism, recreation, etc.) of improving the water quality of the river at a much faster rate than is set in the federally-mandated Consent Decree which requires that the District spend over 2 billion dollars over a number of years to improve water quality currently degraded by sewer overflows, among other things.  The study is based on the River Resource Economics Program that Mike Fremont/Rivers Unlimited and Ohio State University initiated in 1997.  If the study finds that improving water quality at a faster rate yields economic benefits that could pay for the improvements through an increased tax base, it would give incentive to speed along a process that is currently set to take more than twenty years.  For more information on the project, call Mike Fremont at (513)761-4003.

• Sustaining a River: An Economic Impact Study of the Great Miami River Segment Improvements (1.4 mb)
  This study looks at the present rapid growth of undesirable development that could occur near to, or affect the Great Miami River. Costs of protecting the river along scenic stretches and improving it where it is seen to be degraded, as well as analyzing potential economic benefits are explored.
  (Also available as a Powerpoint Presentation) (2.4 mb)
  
• A Civilian Guide To Resource Economics
  
• A Study Of Pesticide Use, Farming Practices, And Community Drinking Water Treatment Costs In The Maumee And Great Lakes Basins
  This study investigates the cost of drinking water treatment in relation to watershed pesticide use in the Maumee River Basin (Ohio) and the Great Lakes, and the effect of farming practices and chemical use on these costs.
  
• Muskingum River Economic Valuation:
• Muskingum River Economic Valuation: Executive Summary
  This study examines the benefits and costs of providing an operative septic system, extending a bikeway, riverfront zoning and repairs to an antique lock and dam system along the Muskingum River in Ohio.