As appeared in Cincinnati Business Courier

Got water?

Here's your science fun fact for the day: Up to 60 percent of the human body is water. The brain is 70 percent water. The lungs are 90 percent water. Now, cross your fingers and hope not one drop of you is from the Mill Creek, unless you're a mutant ninja turtle.

The once-mighty Mill Creek flows 28 miles south from headwaters in Butler County through the geographic heart of Cincinnati. About a half-million live within its watershed. And in 1997, it was named the most endangered urban river in America.

But yesterday's muddy sludge is tomorrow's scenic wetland if local commercial building contractor Reece-Campbell has its way. Collaborating with the Mill Creek Restoration Project, the company is working to create Laughing Brook in Salway Park, across from Spring Grove Cemetery.

Not only is Reece-Campbell donating labor, materials and equipment for the project, but President Pete Chronis has dropped a pay grade or two to serve as volunteer construction manager.

"Our company used to be located along the Mill Creek, so we knew firsthand about its blighted condition," he said. "But we believe it can be both a valuable economic asset and a beautiful natural resource again."

The present-day scenic wonders of Salway Park are pretty well disguised by ballfields and an inland sea of asphalt. There was a time, though, when the Mill Creek meandered through, filled with fish and offering a popular watering hole for birds and wildlife.

Now man will try to mimic nature's expertise. Rock filters, plants and moss-covered sculptures of human hands and Ohio fish will clean storm-water runoff. Native trees, shrubs and plants will be reinstalled. Sustainable design will include porous paving, solar energy and reused/recycled materials for walkways and benches.

In the best of all possible worlds, some of those birds will find their way back, and people will again cherish what Chronis' team has reclaimed.

"Pete's not afraid to tackle something new and challenging," said Mill Creek Restoration Project Executive Director Robin Corathers. "We couldn't have completed Laughing Brook without Reece-Campbell's incredible support."

"This is a creative public/private partnership, which weaves our construction skills together with ecology, art and sustainable design," said Chronis. "We've been thrilled to be part of it."