Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio EPA Director Laurie A. Stevenson announced today that $3.7 million in H2Ohio grants will go to several local communities to help improve drinking water quality and to repair or replace aging water and wastewater infrastructure.

“Many of these systems have degraded to the point that they’re a threat to public health because improvement projects are often much too expensive for our smaller communities to handle on their own,” said Governor DeWine. “All of these projects are long overdue, and we’re excited to contribute toward improving water service and quality of life in the areas of the state where H2Ohio’s help is needed the most.”

“Governor DeWine’s H2Ohio plan enables Ohio EPA to extend available funding to help communities across the state address their water and wastewater needs,” said Ohio EPA Director Laurie A. Stevenson. “We are using H2Ohio funding to make a difference in these communities and in the lives of Ohioans.”

H2Ohio Drinking Water Infrastructure Grants

• Manchester (Adams County), $500,000
  The water distribution system servicing the village of Manchester suffers from damaged pipes and regular waterline breaks. H2Ohio funding awarded to Manchester will support the near-total replacement of the village’s water distribution system to significantly reduce the health threats associated with waterline breaks and provide a more reliable water source to the village’s approximately 2,120 residents.
• Lawrence County, $250,000
  H2Ohio funding will cover the planning and engineering design for a project that will provide safe drinking water to 50 residents in the Macedonia Hill area of Lawrence County who currently do not have a safe and reliable supply.
• Noble County Water Authority, $135,000
  H2Ohio funding awarded to the Noble County Water Authority will support the extension of approximately 97,000 feet of water lines to connect an estimated 130 residences and businesses to the existing water main located along Sarahsville Road. This project will provide safe drinking water to residents who currently do not have a safe and reliable supply.

H2Ohio Wastewater Infrastructure Grants

• Washington County, $750,000
  The community of Devola is currently unsewered, and the failure of an abundance of household sewage treatment systems are causing threats to public health. H2Ohio funding awarded to Washington County will connect Devola’s approximately 500 homes and businesses to the county sewer system and eliminate the need for home septic systems.
• Findlay (Hancock County), $600,000
  Residents in more than 100 homes in Findlay’s Eagle Creek subdivision are currently being served by a failing wastewater treatment plant.  H2Ohio funding awarded to Findlay will be used to extend the city’s sewer system to include the Eagle Creek subdivision and allow for the old plant to be retired.
• Bainbridge (Ross County), $500,000
  The village of Bainbridge is currently unsewered with many residents using inadequate household sewage treatment systems. H2Ohio funding awarded to Bainbridge will support the development of a new sanitary sewer system and wastewater treatment plant to serve citizens in the village’s approximately 500 homes.
• Harrison County, $500,000
  H2Ohio funding awarded to Harrison County will support the construction of a new sewer system for the village of Freeport, which is currently unsewered. The project will include a 75,000-gallon aeration treatment plant and will serve 229 residences and businesses.
• Wayne Lakes (Darke County), $500,000 
  Many household sewage treatment systems are failing and causing threats to public health in the unsewered village of Wayne Lakes. H2Ohio funding awarded to the village will be used to support the installation of a new sanitary sewer collection system to serve approximately 338 residences and other structures.

More than $15.3 million in H2Ohio grants have been awarded by Ohio EPA since the launch of the initiative in 2019. An announcement regarding additional funding to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water and support communities in repairing or replacing failing household sewage treatment systems is expected later this fall.

H2Ohio is a collaborative water quality effort to provide clean and safe water to Ohio. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Department of Agriculture, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and Ohio Lake Erie Commission each have a significant role in H2Ohio through the natural infrastructure of wetlands, the reduction of nutrient runoff, and the increase in access to clean drinking water and quality sewer systems. To learn more, visit h2.ohio.gov.

The H2Ohio Year Two Annual Report is available online at: https://h2.ohio.gov/h2ohio-accomplishments-for-fiscal-year-2021/.

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