H2Ohio Rivers Initiative: Chloride Reduction Grants (OH)

The H2Ohio Rivers Initiative: Chloride Reduction Grants support Ohio municipalities, townships, villages, and counties in adopting best management practices to reduce chloride from deicers impacting water resources. Grants, up to $75,000, aim to improve storage and application of road salt to protect aquatic ecosystems. The program addresses the growing concern of chloride pollution in Ohio's waterways by funding necessary equipment and facilities, promoting collaboration among local governments to maximize impact.

Ohio EPA, through the H2Ohio Rivers Initiative Chloride Reduction Program, is offering grants to Ohio municipalities, villages, townships, and counties to adopt best management practices that reduce salt and deicers contributing to runoff and promote chloride reduction in Ohio water resources. These funds will support upgrades to road salt application equipment and storage facilities with the goal of making improvements to storage and providing tools to reduce over-application of deicing materials and subsequently protect and prevent chloride from impacting surface and ground water resources.
Purpose
Chloride from deicers entering surface waters from roadways and stormwater runoff is an increasing water quality concern in Ohio. In rivers and lakes, the increased chloride levels can be detrimental to freshwater aquatic species. Monitoring by Ohio EPA and other entities shows increased concentrations of chloride over time in soils along roadways and in rivers and lakes. These funds are offered to incentivize changes that can slow and prevent increased levels of chloride in Ohio’s waterways.
Funding
Funding will be provided through reimbursement grants. Funds are for actual equipment purchased and installed or for the cost to improve or construct facilities. Applications are limited to requests for up to $75,000 per individual unit of government. Entities are encouraged to collaborate with others in the same county to combine small requests into larger collaborative applications organized by one applicant.

Eligibility

Ohio municipalities, villages, townships, and counties are eligible to apply.Eligible Costs - Road Deicing Equipment/Facility Improvements:Below is a list of equipment and project upgrades that are eligible for funding:Live Edge/Articulated Blades
Calibration/Salt Spreader Control Systems/ GPS Tracking/Monitoring Systems/Road Temperature Sensors
Upgraded Salt Spreader(s) to Allow Calibration/Control System/GPS Tracking or Monitoring Systems
Conductivity Meters (for water monitoring)
Salt Storage (eliminates exposure of salt to rainwater and/or runoff and overburdened storage):Improving salt storage and loading areas (e.g., berms, poured concrete, or covered loading areas)
Structural facility improvements (e.g., repair or replacement of existing facilities to address leakage, or to prevent runoff from entering storage shed)Permanent salt storage facility or covers

Ineligibility

The funds cannot cover personnel or any administrative costs.