A Plan for Ohio’s Watersheds
60,000
Existing Miles of
Rivers & Streams
430,000
Existing Acres of
Wetland Areas
125,000
Existing Lakes,
Reservoirs & Ponds
About H2OHIO
A collaborative approach to the issues facing Ohio’s water.
H2Ohio is Governor Mike DeWine’s initiative to ensure safe and clean water for all Ohioans. It is a comprehensive, data-driven approach to improving water quality over the long term. H2Ohio focuses specifically on reducing phosphorus, creating wetlands, addressing failing septic systems, and preventing lead contamination.
In July 2019, the Ohio General Assembly invested $172 million in this plan, which has led the way for Ohio’s top water quality and conservation experts to conduct studies and explore all angles of a statewide, multi-faceted approach to clean water.
H2Ohio was created through unprecedented collaboration, using strategies that are long-term, sustainable, cost-effective, and permanent. The Governor, his team, the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the Lake Erie Commission, and many interested parties, including the Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiative (OACI), and our partners in conservation have worked together to invest in projects across Ohio that will reduce nutrients and provide long-term economic and water quality benefits to communities statewide.
H2Ohio Announcement, November 14, 2019
“As a state, we are committed to helping farmers adopt the practices that can make a real difference. We will invest in creating more wetlands. And, we will help communities improve their water systems and remove decrepit septic systems.”
About H2Ohio
The Importance of Partnership
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Department of Agriculture and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency each has a significant role in H2Ohio through the creation of wetlands, the reduction in phosphorus runoff, and access to clean drinking water and quality sewer systems.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Ohio Department of Agriculture
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
What’s Happening
Latest Developments
H2Ohio Transforms Former Amusement Park into Wetland, Public Park
COLUMBUS, Ohio – As part of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio initiative, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) announced today that it will partner with the Medina County Park District to help eliminate toxic algal blooms in Chippewa Lake, Ohio’s largest...
Construction Begins on Two H2Ohio Projects in Hancock County
COLUMBUS, Ohio – As part of Governor Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio initiative, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) began construction on two wetland projects in Hancock County. “To cut down on the amount of algal-bloom-causing phosphorus making its way into...
H2Ohio Begins New Year with New Wetland Project
WILLIAMS COUNTY, Ohio – As part of Governor Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio initiative, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is forging ahead with the Saint Joseph River Floodplain Reconnection Project in Williams County. In partnership with Black Swamp Conservancy...