(COLUMBUS, Ohio) -- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio EPA Director Laurie A. Stevenson announced that two dozen communities will receive a total of $9 million in H2Ohio funding for projects to improve the quality of drinking water and to repair or replace aging water, wastewater, and sewage infrastructure.

"These projects will improve the quality of life for thousands of Ohioans by giving them reliable access to clean water and by addressing failing wastewater and home sewage treatment systems which are also a threat to public health and the environment," said Governor DeWine. "All of our communities deserve to have strong water infrastructure, and I am committed to helping our local partners with these costly improvement projects."

Water Infrastructure Projects - $7.4 Million

Thirteen H2Ohio drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects, identified on the map below, will receive a total of $7.4 million to improve water service for thousands of residents across the state.

Projects include the construction of a new water treatment plant, the replacement of aging water lines, and the installation of new water lines and water mains. New wastewater infrastructure projects will solve sewer system backups, extend sanitary sewers, and replace failing household sewage treatment systems with new sewers. Projects were selected based on the community’s economic needs and project readiness. 

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

Home Sewage Treatment System Replacement Projects - $1.6 Million

It is estimated that approximately 31 percent of all household sewage treatment systems in Ohio are experiencing some degree of failure and are discharging untreated sewage that potentially exposes citizens to harmful bacteria and pathogens.

A total of $1.6 million in H2Ohio funding will go to the counties listed below to help low- to moderate-income households repair and replace failing home sewage treatment systems. Each county will receive $150,000 for the projects.

The $9 million in H2Ohio grant funding announced today is in addition to a new water and sewer program announced by Governor DeWine last week. More details about the new program, which will be funded with $250 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, are forthcoming. 

Governor DeWine launched H2Ohio in 2019 as a 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 in nutrient runoff, and the increase in access to clean drinking water and sewer systems. To learn more, visit h2.ohio.gov.

Original source can be found here.