08/13/2026
Reminder: never drive or walk through flooded roads.
Update 5PM! Englewood Dam and Germantown are now storing floodwater.
MCD's Flood Protection System Is Doing Its Job
Southwest Ohio just had one of its wettest stretches in over a century. Dayton broke a 111-year-old rainfall record this week, and Butler County, Hamilton, Fairfield, Middletown, Franklin, and Trenton have all seen flash flood warnings as storms moved repeatedly through the Miami Valley.
It's important to understand there are two different kinds of flooding happening right now, and they behave differently:
Riverine flooding is what our five-dam system is built for. As the Great Miami River and its tributaries rise, our dams hold back and store floodwater upstream so it doesn't overwhelm downstream communities. That's why a flood gate has been closed in Hamilton, and why the riverfront parks, Miami Bend and East River Landing, are temporarily closed — they're part of the storage areas doing exactly what they were designed to do. This water is released gradually and safely once river levels recede.
Stormwater and drainage infrastructure is a separate system — storm drains, retention basins, and local drainage networks — and it works on its own timeline. Even after rain stops, these systems can take time to drain, especially when the ground is already saturated from repeated storms. Standing water in streets, yards, or low-lying areas after a storm doesn't mean our dam system has failed — it often just means local infrastructure is still catching up, which is normal and expected.
This is what regional flood protection looks like in action. One connected system, built after the Great Dayton Flood of 1913, is absorbing the impact of these storms right now so that communities across our nine counties are protected from the kind of catastrophic river flooding that hit this region before the system existed. That protection is happening quietly, upstream, without headlines — while the system does its job.
Floodwater Safety Reminders
- Turn around, don't drown. Never drive or walk through flooded roads — it takes just 12 inches of moving water to sweep away a car.
- Stay away from storm drains, culverts, and fast-moving streams — floodwater can hide dangerous currents and debris.
- Keep children and pets away from floodwater, including standing water in yards and parks.
- If you encounter a closed park, trail, or roadway, respect the closure — these areas may be actively storing or channeling water.
- Monitor local alerts from the National Weather Service and your county emergency management office for real-time warnings.
More rain is possible over the next few days, and our staff are closely monitoring river levels and floodwater storage across the watershed. We'll keep you updated as conditions change.
Thank you for your patience — and for staying safe — while our system does what it's done for over a century: protect this region.
🌊 Learn more about how MCD's flood protection system works: https://www.mcdwater.org/about-mcd/history-construction
