The Ohio Water Resources Council (OWRC) was designed as a forum for policy development, collaboration and coordination among state agencies, and strategic direction with respect to state water resource programs. The application of knowledge and expertise to safeguard and manage Ohio’s water resources requires data and other information. These are produced and compiled by various government and non-government agencies. The continued collection of long-term water resources data, effective management of the data and easy access to data and information have been identified as a strategic issue.
Water resources data and information are critical to informed decision making by citizens, public officials, regulators, consultants, business and industry representatives. The result of not addressing this strategic need is increased cost, increased uncertainty and less than optimal decision making. For example, the loss of long-term stream gauges impacts the accuracy of flood frequency data that can cause underestimation or overestimation of flood risk. Either case can cost significantly in terms of dollars and at times the loss of life.