H2Ohio, a state program designed to make waterways cleaner by reducing phosphorous discharge, brought more than $300 million in economic benefit, according to a new report from The Nature Conservancy in Ohio.
The report, done in collaboration with nonprofit environmental economics research organization Earth Economics, finds the state's investment into H2Ohio benefits other sectors, like water recreation and restoration contracting jobs.
According to the report, the more than 3,200 farmers who work with H2Ohio to reduce phosphorus runoff on their properties brought $32 million in cost savings by reducing algal blooms in Lake Erie, based on 2024 data. H2Ohio’s wetland restoration initiatives brought an additional $300 million dollars in benefits to the state.
"These things are really useful to understand the true value that this program actually provides," Natural Infrastructure Director for The Nature Conservancy in Ohio Alexis McCarter said. "That proactive funding is cheaper than responding to a crisis like crises we've seen here in Ohio as it pertains to water quality, as well as just to demonstrate that H2Ohio protects families and saves people money."
The report goes on the state that for every $1 invested into wetland restoration, the state sees $8 in economic benefits. This return on investment proves the program is working, report author and Earth Economics Director of Partnerships Glen Delaney said.
"The goal of the analysis was to demonstrate, through our findings, whether investment in the H2Ohio program is money well spent," he said. "And while H2Ohio doesn't generate revenues, the report's findings demonstrate that it delivers broad benefits for Ohio's people and economy."
Ohioans benefit from the program's flood control, water supply and water quality improvements, Delaney said, in addition to more than one million residents near the Lake Erie watershed in surrounding states.
H2Ohio's work with farmers helped to prevent more than 420,000 pounds of phosphorus from entering Lake Erie, according to the report, which helped reduce the presence of harmful algal blooms in the lake. The report said H2Ohio's wetland restoration projects supported more than 330 jobs, adding more than $30 million to the state's economy and generating nearly $60 million in economic output.
These economic and environmental benefits can be felt across various sectors, said Mary Turocy, director of policy and government relations with The Nature Conservancy.
"Jobs and money going to contractors and then trickling down through the rest of the economic channels," she said. "It's also things like avoided costs, so ... what kind of flood avoidance would come from those improved wetlands."
The Nature Conservancy hopes the report will show stakeholders the value of the H2Ohio program, Turocy said, as it currently operates with a budget of 165 million dollars compared to 270 million last fiscal year.
