The Miami Conservancy District (MCD) of Ohio, located in southwest Ohio, has been selected to receive the 2014 National Ground Water Association (NGWA) Special Recognition Award.

The recognition is meant to honor an individual or organization that demonstrates dedication, service and commitment to the groundwater industry and community through involvement and achievement on a local or regional level.

Monitoring, analyzing and reporting water resources in the Great Miami River Watershed are key functions of the MCD. The award will be presented at the 2014 NGWA groundwater expo in Las Vegas, in December.

The district’s partner organizations — including the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Weather Service — operate and maintain an extensive hydrologic monitoring system that tracks annual trends in precipitation, runoff and groundwater levels. Changes to the balance of the hydrologic system of the watershed are assessed.

Additional MCD functions include:

• Fostering community projects to protect drinking water.
• Conducting quality and quantity studies on groundwater and surface water, and investigations.
• Reducing nutrients in waterways through its nationally and internationally recognized Water Quality Credit Trading Program.
• Operating a Test Your Well program to help citizens collect quality and quantity data on their private wells.

In the MCD’s Test Your Well program, well owners bring a sample of their well water and receive a free analysis of nitrite, nitrate, arsenic and iron. At the end of 2013, nearly 1,400 well owners had participated in the testing.

NGWA is a nonprofit that supports responsible development, management and use of water resources. It’s comprised of groundwater professionals ranging from contractors to equipment manufacturers to scientists and engineers. For more information, visit www.ngwa.org.