My name is Kelsey, and I am currently planning to graduate from the University of Dayton in May 2026 with a degree in sustainability. This past summer, I had the incredible opportunity to work with the City of Dayton Water Department as an environmental science intern. My role involved supporting the local efforts of the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) throughout my 14 weeks of working there.
During this time, I worked closely with my fellow intern and University of Dayton graduate student Isabelle Blackwell, as well as full-time environmental scientists and UD alumni Katie Norris and Eric Borth. I spent my time focusing on both groundwater and stormwater regulation within various capacities in the city. Most importantly, I dedicated a significant portion of my time with the department to ensuring the city is aligned with its current National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements.
One of the foundational components of the NPDES permit for Dayton includes having a Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) to ensure that local sources of pollutants are being tracked and controlled. As part of the city's SWMP, all major storm sewer outfalls located in Dayton must be sampled at least once every five years.
I spent the majority of my internship supporting this initiative by conducting dry-weather sampling at more than 400 outfalls. For it to be considered dry-weather, there had to be less than 0.1” of rainfall within the last 72 hours.
During the days that didn’t meet this standard, we would focus on other important projects, typically relating to groundwater rather than stormwater. For example, we spent time conducting well-condition assessments within the Miami Well Field to ensure that Dayton’s groundwater wells are functioning properly and remain in good shape.
Another activity we did included coordinating and performing Source Water Protection Program (SWPP) inspections at local businesses. This process included meeting with representatives of various buildings and going through their liquid chemical inventory to make sure that they were in compliance with the limitations set on their business by the SWPP. Enforcing such limitations supports and protects our region’s groundwater quality by preventing businesses from purposefully or unintentionally releasing harmful substances into the environment.
Even though the dry-weather requirement may have limited the number of days we were able to sample, it allowed me to experience other aspects of working in environmental management, and we made up for it by putting in extra time on dry-weather days.
During sampling days, we would test flowing outfalls for temperature, pH, nitrate, chlorine, phosphate, and ammonia. These different parameters would then be used to determine where the flow was coming from. For example, high levels of chlorine typically indicate some sort of water main leak. On the other hand, higher ammonia levels suggest a leak related to the sanitary sewer system.
The sampling results were then used to determine what our next steps would be. These options included calling in a leak to water utilities, returning to retest at a later date, or tracing the water to determine its source.
Having the opportunity to investigate leaks in the stormwater sewer system was one of my favorite parts of this job. It gave me a chance to use my problem-solving and deductive reasoning skills to actively help solve a real-world issue. Beyond this, the outfall sampling process allowed me to spend more time outside and see parts of Dayton that I hadn’t ever been to before.
Being able to do hands-on work and spend the majority of my days in the field was a very exciting aspect of this internship. I really enjoyed being able to work outdoors, and I plan on continuing to pursue a career that allows me to interact with the environment regularly.
Another enjoyable part of my experience was getting to participate in various community outreach events. During the first week of my internship, I had the opportunity to support running the Children’s Water Festival on UD’s campus, which hosted more than 1,000 fourth grade students from schools in the Dayton area. These kids were able to learn about our region's water and environment through hands-on activities and conversations with local experts in the field.
The next week, I had the chance to represent the Dayton Water Department and DEM at the Bike to Work Day Pancake Breakfast. I spent the morning tabling at Riverscape Metropark and sharing information about the city's water system with many members of the community.
Additionally, I helped execute Dayton’s portion of the Clean Sweep of the Great Miami River. With over a hundred volunteers, we were able to collect almost five thousand pounds of trash. All of these outreach events allowed me to connect with the Dayton community on a deeper level and helped me grow as a person both personally and professionally.
Overall, I am forever grateful for the time I spent with the City of Dayton and DEM. My experience as an environmental science intern has taught me a lot about what it takes to protect the world’s natural resources and the commitment required to continue supplying safe drinking water to residents throughout the Miami Valley.
Beyond technical knowledge, I also learned a lot about the importance of a positive office environment and the value of having supportive coworkers. All of the people I was fortunate enough to work alongside welcomed me with open arms and made DEM feel like home. The City of Dayton Water Department is full of hard-working, generous people who truly care about our city and the environment.
This opportunity has taught me so many valuable lessons, and I plan to take everything that I have learned from this experience to shape a better future for myself and have a positive impact on the world around me.