COLUMBUS, OH (April 21, 2025) – Ohio EPA is awarding more than $2.7 million to 116 public water systems in 58 counties to protect and improve drinking water.

"This is what we do - getting funding to Ohio communities that need it most," Ohio EPA Director-Designate, John Logue, said. "This is last-mile money that helps push these projects over the finish line to ensure safe drinking water."

Ohio EPA announced the communities receiving funding today in Newark. The money will be used to help provide a continuous supply of safe drinking water, support strategies to better protect source water and properly abandon existing inactive wells and for the purchase of emergency generators.  

The City of Newark is receiving more than $39,000. The money will go toward protecting the North Fork of the Licking River through purchasing spill protection materials and signs, public outreach and updating website information.

“The Ohio EPA grant program is very beneficial to cities like Newark because it allows communities to complete small projects that would otherwise not be funded,” Newark Water Administrator, Brandon Fox, said. “Newark has received several grants over the last few years, and the funds provided resources to help ensure our public water system can deliver the highest quality water possible.”

The $2.7 million being awarded is going to local governments in these 58 counties: 

Adams, Allen (3 projects), Ashland, Athens (2 projects), Auglaize, Belmont, Brown (2 projects) Butler (3 projects), Champaign, Clinton, Columbiana (2 projects), Darke, Erie (2 projects), Fairfield (4 projects), Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Gallia (4 projects), Geauga (2 projects), Greene (3 projects), Hamilton (3 projects), Hardin (3 projects), Harrison, Henry (3 projects), Holmes (2 projects), Huron, Jackson (5 projects), Jefferson (2 projects), Lake (2 projects), Licking (2 projects), Logan (2 projects), Mahoning (2 projects), Meigs, Mercer (2 projects), Miami (2 projects), Montgomery (4 projects), Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum (3 projects), Ottawa (3 projects), Paulding (2 projects), Perry (2 projects), Pickaway (3 projects), Pike, Portage (3 projects), Preble, Richland (2 projects), Ross (2 projects), Scioto, Seneca (2 projects), Summit (3 projects), Trumbull, Van Wert, Vinton, Warren, Washington (4 projects), Wayne, and Wood (3 projects).

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epa.ohio.gov

About Ohio EPA
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1972 to consolidate efforts to protect and improve air quality, water quality and waste management in Ohio. Since then, air pollutants dropped by as much as 90 percent; large rivers meeting standards improved from 21 percent to 89 percent; and hundreds of polluting, open dumps were replaced with engineered landfills and an increased emphasis on waste reduction and recycling.