Drinking Water Protection Area Road Signs

The Ohio EPA has worked with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to develop a standard drinking water protection area road sign. The purpose of these signs is to provide a general awareness of the protection area to people who live, work, or are passing through the area, and also to provide the Ohio EPA emergency response phone number (1-800-282-9378) so that spills can be quickly reported. The community may request that a local emergency response number be placed on the sign instead of Ohio EPA's number, such as 9-1-1. ODOT has agreed to erect and maintain these signs on state highways/roads that intersect the five year time of travel (drinking water protection area) for community public water systems serving populations greater than 500 at no cost to the system.

If a public water system wishes to place signs on roads other than state roads or highways, it is requested that they use the sign design specifications shown below. Additional signs may be placed on an access road to the well or wellfield, on county or township roads that intersect the wellhead protection area, or in parking lots or loading docks in the wellhead protection area. The signs may be smaller than the specified size, but the colors should be the same (blue lettering on a white background). ODOT feels very strongly that a consistent sign design would provide uniformity across the state and would not confuse motorists.

Requesting a Road Sign

To request a Drinking Water Protection sign on a state road or highway in your protection area, contact your district Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) listed below.