Water Program Could Change

Proposed changes to Ohio’s water quality monitoring program would reduce the number of water samples taken from the state’s rivers and streams. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to fold the state’s 98 watersheds now surveyed into 37 larger “project areas.” The agency anticipates that reducing the number of sampling areas will allow more frequent testing. Critics argue that there would be less data on which to base water quality decisions, as the state faces pollution threats from waste, pipelines and development.