History of the Ohio Stormwater Association

The Ohio Stormwater Association first organized in the late 1990s as the Ohio Stormwater Taskforce (OSWTF) to discuss stormwater and watershed issues. The group was composed of soil and water conservation staff, county engineers, city and county officials, regional planning organizations, state government agencies, watershed groups, consulting engineers and others. The name of the group changed in 2007 to the Ohio Stormwater Association and a board of directors was formed at that time. In 1998, they organized their first stormwater conference held in Blue Ash, Ohio. The conference was attended by over 200 people from across Ohio and featured more innovative and preventative stormwater management approaches.

In 2000, they joined the Water Management Association of Ohio as its’ stormwater division, enabling the organization to apply for a federal 319 grant. In 2000, sponsored regional workshops across Ohio for phase II communities as they prepared to begin stormwater management planning. These venues were used to assess barriers to cross-jurisdictional participation. In 2005, a report was issued regarding Ohio legislation and the potential for Ohio communities to manage stormwater from a multi-jurisdictional or watershed basis. In 2009, worked collaboratively with the Tinkers Creek Watershed Partners to co-sponsor the second Ohio Stormwater Conference in Mason, Ohio. This conference was attended by over 450. In 2019 the conference had grown to include over 950 attendees. The OSWA currently collaborates annually to assist in the Ohio Stormwater Conference.