Water Withdrawal Facilities Registration – About Monitoring water use for decision support and planning

The Water Withdrawal Facilities Registration Program, as established in H.B. 662 by the Ohio General Assembly in 1988, implements one of the objectives of the Great Lakes Charter in Ohio. The Great Lakes Charter serves as a good-faith agreement among governors and premiers of the Great lakes states and provinces to establish a regional approach to Great Lakes water resource management programs. The regional approach will strengthen our effort to protect and better manage such a vital resource in this water rich Great Lakes Region.

The Charter recognizes the need for good water resource data as fundamental to water resource planning, management and protection. The recommendation to create a water withdrawal facility registration program resulted because many states and provinces did not have the necessary authority to collect such data.

The drought of 1988 raised many concerns about water use and management in Ohio. Many communities and businesses sought alternative water sources to supplement depleted supplies. Also, conflicts and questions arose in the competition for a limited water resource. The state did not have adequate information to assist everyone seeking additional water. Without the knowledge of water withdrawals in an area, state officials risked referring water withdrawers to a source of water already limited by current demands.

The ground water stress areas legislation, signed in April of 1990, gave the Chief of the Division of Water the authority to designate an area as a ground water stress area and establish a threshold withdrawal capacity for the area in terms of water withdrawal registration. Thus, any person who withdraws water at a rate greater than a specified threshold (for example, 10,000 gpd) in a ground water stress area would be required to register the facility with the Chief of the Division of Water. Registration is not intended to regulate use of ground water, but only to gather additional information for resolving conflicts and guiding or advising new users. Annual reports must also be submitted for these facilities.

Ohio Revised Code Relating to this Program

Section 1521.16 of the Ohio Revised code requires any owner of a facility, or combination of facilities, with the capacity to withdraw water at a quantity greater than 100,000 gallons per day (GPD) to register such facilities with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Water. The Water Withdrawal Facility Registration (WWFR) Program will provide information of great importance to the citizens of the state. Water, one of our most basic and precious natural resources, needs to be studied more intensely and water resource planners need reliable information to plan for the future. The state's economy depends on water and economic development will continue to place increased demands on this critical resource.