The Village of Donnelsville will receive $750,000 to connect almost 100 homes to a nearby public water system. This money is part of a $2.8 million H2Ohio grant to improve Ohio's water quality. Other projects include restoring Mentor Marsh and repairing or replacing home sewage treatment systems in multiple counties.
Donnelsville residents currently get their water from wells. Water testing over the past decade found evidence of contamination in these wells. The Ohio EPA worked with local officials, the U.S. EPA, and Beach Manufacturing to investigate how many private wells were contaminated. Beach Manufacturing then installed in-home filtration systems that ensure no residents drink water containing dangerous contamination.
Mike Proffitt, Assistant Chief for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), says connecting to the public system is a more permanent solution and will make getting safe water easier for residents. "You won't have to be concerned about the status of your individual treatment system. You don't have to be concerned about when you are replacing carbon or anything like that. It's going to be just business as usual, you turn on your tap, and you know that your water is good."
The first round of H2Ohio grants will pay for the engineering study. This is the first phase of many in the project. Proffitt says conducting the project in phases will ensure they can keep applying for more grant money as needed.
"There will be a decision point every step of the way. So, if it comes to the point that known funding isn't available to pay for the system, we can explore every other option before making a decision that will require the outlay of money.”
The project was placed on the U.S. EPA's National Priorities List in 2018 and is eligible for federal grants. If future phases of the H2Ohio grant don't cover the project's total cost, the EPA says it hopes to get other federal money to cover the difference.
After connecting to the public system, residents will be responsible for paying the monthly water bills for their homes.