The Ohio River and the tributaries, streams and lakes connected to it provide drinking water for more than 30 million people. But serious problems threaten the water’s quality — from sewage contamination to microplastics.
To address those issues, researchers from the National Wildlife Federation, the Ohio River Basin Alliance and the University of Louisville released a draft plan earlier this month.
It calls for more federal investment in restoration programs and increased coordination across the federal, state and tribal governments.
“Health-threatening pollution to people, to fish and wildlife — it’s just not acceptable,” said Jordan Lubetkin, senior director of Ohio River restoration at the National Wildlife Federation. “We firmly believe every investment in environmental improvement and water quality is probably one of the best investments you can take in the federal government.”
Key challenges facing the Ohio River
Water quality in the Ohio River Basin has significantly improved since the 1970s and ‘80s.
“At that point, we still had many people that did not have access to indoor plumbing or clean, safe and affordable water,” Lubetkin said. “Flash forward to now in 2025, we have made great strides, and those clean water protections and federal investments have really helped protect and better our water quality.”
However, of about 200,000 miles of streams in the Ohio River Basin assessed by state agencies, nearly 70% still fail to meet state water quality standards.
Lubetkin said the most pressing issues include:
- Toxic pollution
- Sewage contamination
- Farm and urban runoff
- Habitat loss
- Invasive species
- Extreme weather and flooding
“These threats and several more are not just a threat to fish and wildlife,” he said, “but also to people, to our public health, to our recreational opportunities and ultimately our economy.”
Healthy water not only supports healthy ecosystems, it also reduces the burden on water treatment plants to ensure all people have access to clean water that’s both safe and affordable.
Recommendations
Lubetkin said addressing these threats to the Ohio River Basin is crucial, but state and local governments can’t do it alone.
“We’d like to see a more robust investment from the federal government,” he said.
The plan also calls for increased research and monitoring to guide restoration efforts.
“And we would like to see workforce development and job training so that local workers, local contractors and local businesses can benefit from these kinds of restoration investments,” Lubetkin said.
The recommendations come at a time when the federal government is looking to cut costs, but Lubetkin said there’s no plan B.
“Failure is not an option,” he said.
He pointed to the success of federal investment in other ecosystems, like the Great Lakes.
“For every $1 you invest in restoring and protecting the waters, $3 of economic return are produced in things like tourism, recreation, a new recreational tax base and home values,” he said. “So I think environmental restoration and economic development can go hand in hand.”
The public can comment on the draft plan until July 18. Feedback will be considered and potentially incorporated into the final report.
