Ohio EPA funding emergency generator projects to keep water moving

The Ohio EPA is spending more than $77,000 to help keep drinking water reliable for residents along the U.S. 30 corridor.

Those funds will complete four upgrades throughout Richland, Crawford and Ashland counties, the agency announced.

Water-system allocations include: $33,000 for the village of Crestline, $23,163 for Hidden Acres Mobile Home Park near Ashland, $11,506 for an Aqua Ohio project in Mansfield and $9,500 for Colonial Hills Mobile Home Park in Mansfield.

The four projects in North Central Ohio focus on emergency generators.

“Ohio EPA prioritized emergency generator projects to help water systems maintain service and protect the water supply during power outages,” the agency noted. “The grants will reimburse systems for the initial costs of generators and necessary accessories.”

Statewide, 38 water systems were awarded $1.28 million for emergency generators.

So far this year, Ohio EPA has awarded more than $2.8 million to 122 public water systems in 58 counties for improvements.

Those grants are funded through the U.S. EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Capitalization Grants, designed to help public water systems maintain a continuous supply of safe drinking water, strengthen the protection of the water source, properly close inactive wells and invest in emergency generators.

“Being able to offer this funding to more than 120 water systems across the state is the definition of a win-win,” Ohio EPA Director John Logue said. “It helps these systems to have the capability of enhancing what they do and how they do it at no extra cost to them — but, more importantly, it helps Ohio families have access to more reliable, safer, healthier drinking water.”

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