Mission Statement

Protect human health and the environment by characterizing and protecting ground water quality and ensuring that Ohio's public water systems provide adequate supplies of safe drinking water.

Vision Statement

The citizens of Ohio know that their drinking water, whether it comes from wells or surface water, is safe to drink. Everyone in the state can easily obtain information about the quality of drinking water and ground water in their area, their region and the entire state.

Guiding Principles

1. Develop and support innovative, practical, and effective solutions.
2. Exercise sound, professional judgement in decision making.
3. Actively use our mission, vision, and guiding principles in our decision making.
4. Continually strive to improve the quality of our work.
5. Recognize quality work in each other and our customers.
6. Provide consistent, timely service to internal and external customers.
7. Treat each other and our customers with courtesy and respect.
8. Practice basic principles of positive human interaction, cooperation, teamwork, and honesty.
9. Encourage employee pride, self improvement, and self motivation.
10. Utilize all the training and tools available to effectively perform our job duties.
11. Actively participate in the Agency's strategic management process.
12. Integrate and promote pollution prevention activities.
13. Support and promote environmental education for the public.
     

Drinking Water Program

The Division's Drinking Water Program manages the federally delegated drinking water program and implements both federal and Ohio's Safe Drinking Water statutes and rules adopted under these laws. To carry out the program the Division:  

• develops rules which match USEPA regulations and are at least as stringent as the federal rules;
• conducts inspections of water treatment plants and storage and distribution systems to ensure proper construction and operation;
• informs Public Water Systems (PWSs) of their monitoring and reporting requirements under the law;
• tracks systems compliance with rules through review of their self-monitoring reports and of the analytical results of their water sampling;
• takes appropriate enforcement action for failure to comply with Ohio's safe drinking water laws and regulations;
• collects and tracks data regarding the activities and reports appropriately to the federal government.

 Drinking Water Staff also:

• inspect and certify laboratories to ensure proper analysis of drinking water samples;
• review plans for new or modified PWSs, provide technical assistance to PWSs to help them operate properly and achieve and maintain compliance;
• evaluate water plants to determine which classification of certified operator is required to properly operate the plant;
• assist the Ohio Advisory Council of Examiners in developing and administering tests for those people wishing to become certified operators;
• respond to emergencies such as chemical spills or floods which either threaten a source of water or causes a treatment plant to be out of operation;
• respond to and investigate complaints of contaminated drinking water or water borne disease.
   

Ground Water Program

The Division's Ground Water Program:  

• oversees implementation of the Ohio Ground Water Protection and Management Strategy which serves as a guide to all state programs with ground water related responsibilities to help ensure coordinated and comprehensive protection and management of the state's ground water resources;
• manages and promotes participation in Ohio's Wellhead Protection Program which helps to ensure the present and future availability of uncontaminated water for the users of public drinking water systems using ground water;
• manages the State's Underground Injection Control Program (UIC) which regulates the types and amounts of waste that can be injected into underground geologic formations;
• monitors, through sampling and analysis, the quality of the ground water found in the various geologic regions around Ohio;
• conducts specialized monitoring studies to identify ground water contamination problems, determine cause and effect relationships and recommends strategies for preventing contamination;
• works with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ohio EPA's Division of Surface Water to identify, quantify, and remediate the adverse impacts on ground water caused by non-point source activities such as feed lot operations, and agricultural applications of fertilizer and pesticides;
• administers the State Coordinating Committee on Ground Water to enhance coordination among state agencies.

In addition to the above mentioned direct activities, the Division's Ground Water Program acts as a consultant to other divisions in the Agency on all matters relating to ground water. This work is carried out under memorandums of understanding which spell out what work will be done by each party and the amount of funding that the contracting division will provide the Ground Water Program. The contracting divisions are:
 

• Emergency and Remedial Response;
• Hazardous Waste Management;
• Solid and Infectious Waste Management.

Additionally, technical assistance is provided to other agency and State programs (e.g. the Division of Surface Water, the Drinking Water Program, and the Bureau of Underground Storage Tanks in the Department of Commerce), industry, public officials and the general public on various ground water programs, ground water quality, hydrogeology and other related information.