LANCASTER, OH (May 2025) – The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Fairfield County Engineer’s Office $74,652.18 in grant funding through the state’s new H2Ohio Rivers Chloride Reduction Grant Program. The funds will be used to construct a new brine system aimed at lowering road salt usage while improving winter driving conditions.
The grant is part of a larger $2.7 million initiative announced by Governor Mike DeWine on August 1, 2024, benefiting 52 communities statewide. The H2Ohio Rivers Program—an extension of the governor’s broader H2Ohio initiative—focuses on reducing the environmental impact of road salt on Ohio’s waterways by encouraging best practices in salt storage and application.
This second-round award builds on the program’s first phase, in which 31 communities received $1.6 million in funding from a highly competitive pool of over 260 applicants.
Recent testing has shown increased salt concentrations in Ohio’s rivers, largely attributed to road salt runoff. Elevated salt levels not only lower water quality by releasing metals and nutrients from sediment, but also pose challenges to drinking water treatment facilities and corrode essential infrastructure like pipes, bridges, and paved roads.
The Fairfield County Engineer’s Office plans to use the funding to implement a more sustainable winter maintenance system. The new brine equipment is expected to decrease salt dependency while maintaining safe road conditions.
“The Ohio EPA is proud to support Fairfield County’s commitment to responsible salt management and waterway protection,” the agency said in a statement.
