Add to Report View Custom Report

Water Resources

Located in West Central Ohio, Piqua and the Dayton Region are largely free from the droughts that strike many parts of the United States. As such, our region welcomes water-intensive businesses and industries to responsibly share our abundant water resources.


Rivers and streams readily recharge the groundwater supplies within the Great Miami Aquifer, making this groundwater a truly renewable resource. In fact, the public water supply systems in the region have excess capacity. Readily available water is so expansive that the region is able to tap the aquifer for geothermal sources to cost effectively heat and cool buildings. This not only offers businesses another economic advantage, but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Seasonal drought outlooks from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration consistently provides bleak news to many states. Over the past several years, droughts have impacted states across the country from North Carolina to California, including Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Georgia and Alabama. But the region has more than 6,000 miles of rivers and streams to recharge a vast 1.5 trillion gallon buried aquifer.

Abundant & Renewable

Many factors have created this water-rich environment, and these factors will sustain the water supply while many areas of the nation continue to struggle. The Dayton Region aquifer system consists of highly permeable sand and gravel deposits that store a huge quantity of groundwater. The aquifer underlies the permeable river and streambeds, creating plenty of opportunity for surface water and precipitation to recharge the groundwater. Proper protection measures ensure that the aquifer is available as a long-term, healthy fresh water supply.

The region offers a number of reasons why water-intensive industries should choose our region:

  • Total aquifer storage of approximately 1.5 trillion gallons of groundwater.
  • Principal drinking water source for an estimated 1.7 million people.
  • Award-winning water source protection programs and sole source aquifer designation by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
  • Yields in excess of 2,000 gallons of water per minute are routinely achieved.
  • Much of the ground water maintains a constant temperature of 56 degrees Farenheit, providing a valuable source of geothermal energy that can reduce heating and cooling costs.

Expansive and Diverse

The Great Miami River flows 170 miles southwest from Indian Lake in Logan County to the Ohio River, just west of Cincinnati. This is the largest mixed-use river corridor of its kind, touting the vibrant waterfronts of more than a dozen cities interconnected by land and water trails. Between the cities, the Great Miami River Recreational Trail embraces some of Ohio's most picturesque and productive farmland and exquisite natural areas.

In fact, the surface water is so abundant and of such high quality that people travel from surrounding states to experience the region's sport fishing excitement with world-class trout and smallmouth bass fishing and to plow the waters by canoe and kayak via the many public launch points, including several in and around the City of Piqua. Over 300 miles of bike trails also follow the rivers and streams and provide land-lovers with recreational opportunities for cycling, rollerblading, walking and running.