Governor DeWine, Ohio EPA Announce $65 Million DuPont Settlement Distribution
Barnesville Will Receive $5 Million
COLUMBUS — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director John Logue this week announced details on the distribution of $65 million in funding from the 2023 environmental restoration settlement with DuPont.
The fund will be distributed to fourteen water districts throughout the state including Barnesville:
Barnesville (Belmont County) ~$5 million. The funding will help mitigate PFAS contamination in their source water. The project will benefit 6,500 people.
When contacted about the award, Mayor Jake Hershberger said, “Barnesville is grateful to receive approximately 45 million in state settlement funding to help us address PFAS in our source water and strengthen our water treatment plant for the future”.
“I want residents to know clearly that our current drinking water meets state and federal requirements. This project is about being proactive, making the improvements we need to stay ahead of newer, stricter PFAS standards and to keep delivering safe, dependable water to our community for years to come”.
Expressing thanks, Hershberger said, “We appreciate the State of Ohio and Ohio EPA for investing in Barnesville”.
The settlement agreement stems from a lawsuit Governor DeWine filed against DuPont while serving as Ohio’s attorney general in 2018. The lawsuit accused DuPont of releasing perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) into the air and the Ohio River from its Washington Works facility in Parkersburg, W.Va., despite knowing the risks the chemical posed to public health and the environment.
The payment of the settlement funds was delayed until this year due to legal appeals. Final approval for the release of the funding was given by the Ohio Controlling Board today.
Funding will be distributed to Belmont, Gallia, Lawrence, Meigs, Morgan, and Washington counties. The funding will support local drinking water infrastructure projects in more than a dozen Ohio communities.
“Access to safe drinking water is essential for every Ohio community,” said Governor DeWine. “These funding awards will be used to make critical improvements to local water systems that will protect public health and strengthen drinking water infrastructure for years to come.”
Ohio was the first state to legally challenge DuPont for its use of PFOA, a type of synthetic per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemical that has been linked to serious health issues. DuPont manufactured Teflon products using PFOA from the 1950s to 2013.
The $65 million will fund projects that develop new drinking water sources, connect smaller water systems to larger regional systems, install treatment infrastructure to remove PFAS from public water systems, and connect private wells with PFAS detections to nearby public water systems.
Many of the projects are expected to be fully funded through the settlement, helping communities address contamination without additional costs to local utilities.
“This settlement ensures resources are going directly to the communities that need them,” said Ohio EPA Director John Logue. “Ohio EPA is focused on getting these projects moving so residents have safe, reliable drinking water and long-term protections for Ohio families.”
Ohio EPA has worked closely with local leaders, water systems, and community stakeholders to identify projects that are shovel-ready and provide the most effective solutions.
Eight of the 14 projects are focused on nearby Morgan and Washington counties. In Morgan County, Chesterhill, Stockport and Beverly systems will receive funds.
In Washington County, the Tri-County, City of Marietta, Village of Belpre, Warren Community and Little Hocking water systems are on the grants list.
Details and the complete list of water systems that will receive grants may be accessed here.
(This is a modified article based on a press release by the Ohio Governor’s Office with additional local information added).
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