How many people depend on ground water in Ohio?
In Ohio about 40 percent of the population depends on ground water for drinking and household use. Almost 75 percent of the 1,600 community water systems rely on ground water for all or part of their water supply. Approximately 700,000 people who live in rural areas depend on private wells for their water supply. One large community that relies on ground water is the City of Dayton, which serves 400,000 customers from wells that produce an average of 85 million gallons of water per day. The importance of protecting their water supply was highlighted in 1987 when a fire destroyed a paint warehouse located in their well field. The event served as a catalyst for the community to educate citizens and businesses about the importance of protecting their ground water resource. Dayton now has one of the most advanced ground water protection programs in the country.
