Ohio Groundwater Forum June 24, 2015

Ground Water Level Monitoring and Ohio’s Ground Water Stressed Area Designation

Concern about declining ground water levels in the heavily industrialized Mill Creek valley north of Cincinnati in the late 1930’s resulted in the first observation well being installed in Ohio.  Currently, 140 water wells are continuously monitored by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).  As a direct result of the 1988 drought, the Water Withdrawal Facility Registration Program was created to document who is using water in Ohio and who may have extra capacity available for emergency use.  In 1994, legislation was passed that gives the ODNR the authority to designate ground water stress areas.  The ODNR uses these data sources along with other climatological data during investigations of ground water depletion complaints.