Buckeye Reporter

Governor DeWine and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director Anne M. Vogel have announced the H2Ohio Chloride Reduction Grant Program. With a budget of approximately $1 million, the initiative is designed to support local communities in upgrading their equipment to improve road salt storage and distribution practices.

Governor DeWine stressed the importance of balancing road safety with environmental concerns. "Road salt plays an incredibly important role in road safety, but we must also consider the impact of this salt on the quality of Ohio's water," he said. He further added, "This program will help local communities apply salt in a way that effectively treats slippery roads while also reducing the amount of salt that runs off the roads and into the water."

According to a press release from the Ohio EPA, excessive runoff of salt can harm aquatic life and contaminate drinking water sources, leading to increased treatment costs and infrastructure corrosion. Director Vogel highlighted the primary objective of H2Ohio, initiated by Governor DeWine four years ago, as providing unrestricted funding to communities across Ohio.

The financial assistance provided through this program aims to bolster the overall strength, safety, and health of these communities while addressing the negative environmental impacts of salt runoff. "This is why Governor DeWine started this program four years ago. It’s connecting hometowns all over Ohio with no-strings-attached funding that will then be used to make communities stronger, safer, and healthier," Vogel explained.

In an effort to further mitigate salt runoff in Ohio, a joint initiative has been launched by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Ohio EPA. According to a press release, they aim to initiate a public education campaign for local governments. The campaign's goal is to address overuse of road deicer salts by promoting best management practices, encouraging reduced salt application, and advocating for use of advanced technologies for applying salt.

As per another press release, the H2Ohio Chloride Reduction Grant Program, backed by the Ohio General Assembly, is a crucial part of the recently announced H2Ohio Rivers Program.