More state money available to reduce road salt contamination.

The Ohio EPA has distributed $4.3 million in H2Ohio chloride reduction grants since 2023 and announced $1.5 million more to be awarded across two funding rounds, with applications due Friday.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has added funding intended to reduce road salt contamination across the state. Since 2023 the agency has distributed $4.3 million in H2Ohio chloride reduction grants to more than 80 communities. In January the Ohio EPA said it will distribute an additional $1.5 million in grants, to be awarded across two funding rounds this year and next, with individual awards up to $75,000. The grants are meant to support purchases such as salt spreader control systems, brine mixers and storage shelters to lessen sodium chloride runoff into rivers, streams and drinking-water sources. Key details: - The Ohio EPA has distributed $4.3 million in H2Ohio chloride reduction grants to more than 80 communities since 2023. - The agency announced $1.5 million more in grant funding, to be awarded across two rounds; applications are due Friday. - Grants can cover equipment such as spreader control systems, brine mixers and storage shelters that aim to reduce chloride runoff. - The funding is available to select municipalities, townships and counties identified as adjacent to high-quality streams or vulnerable groundwater, according to the Ohio EPA. - Local monitoring cited a test of Euclid Creek that recorded 3,246 parts per million of salt, while levels above 230 ppm are reported as toxic to aquatic life. - Experts and programs mentioned in the reporting note both approaches that can reduce salt use and cost barriers to alternatives, and that Ohio currently does not regulate when or how road salt is applied. Summary: The additional grant rounds build on existing H2Ohio support intended to lower chloride runoff by helping jurisdictions acquire equipment and use calibrated techniques. Applications are due Friday and awards will be distributed across two funding rounds this year and next. Reported testing and academic research cited in the article describe measurable effects of road salt on aquatic life and note remaining questions about costs, practices and regulation.