US EPA awards funds to help protect public drinking water

COLUMBUS (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $724,500 to Ohio to protect public drinking water systems.

The federal agency said in a release this week that it awarded the money to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to carry out its public water supply supervision program. Federal officials say the funding will help protect more than 4,400 public water systems in Ohio serving nearly a total of 11 million people daily.

The U.S. EPA said the funding is the second installment of a $1.2 million award to Ohio in 2019.

The money will allow Ohio EPA to conduct regular sanitary surveys of public water systems and provide technical assistance to system managers and operators. It also will be used for enforcement and to ensure systems keep consumers informed of water quality.