08/13/2026
FLOOD PROTECTION SYSTEM ACTIVATED FOLLOWING HEAVY RAIN
The City of Vandalia is sharing an important update from the Miami Conservancy District following several days of heavy rain across the region.
Southwest Ohio has experienced one of its wettest stretches in more than a century. Parts of the Great Miami River Watershed have received up to four inches of rain within 48 hours, and an additional 0.75 to two inches is forecast over the next three days.
As a result, the Miami Conservancy District’s flood protection system is actively responding to elevated river levels. Water may be stored at Englewood Dam and potentially at the District’s four other dams in the coming days.
This is exactly what the flood protection system was designed to do. As the Great Miami River and its tributaries rise, the dams temporarily hold floodwater upstream to help protect downstream communities. The water will be released gradually and safely after river levels recede. Miami Conservancy District staff are monitoring river levels, storage areas and flood gates around the clock.
Please take the following precautions:
Never drive or walk through a flooded roadway. Turn around, don’t drown.
Stay away from storm drains, culverts and fast-moving streams.
Keep children and pets away from floodwater, including standing water in yards and parks.
Respect all park, trail and roadway closures. These areas may be actively storing or channeling water.
Continue monitoring alerts from the National Weather Service and local emergency management officials.
Miami Bend and East River Landing have been temporarily closed by the Miami Conservancy District because those riverfront parks are within designated flood-storage areas.
The regional flood protection system was built following the Great Dayton Flood of 1913. Its five dams work together as one connected system to reduce the risk of catastrophic river flooding throughout the Great Miami River Watershed.
The City of Vandalia will continue monitoring conditions and sharing updates as needed. Current river conditions are available at:
https://www.mcdwater.org/current-river-conditions
