DeWine: Water cleanup must continue

SANDUSKY — Gov. Mike DeWine wants his H2Ohio water cleanup program, which includes building and restoring wetlands near the Lake Erie shore, to continue once he leaves office. The governor told Ogden Newspapers journalists, in an exclusive interview, that he plans to introduce a proposal soon to keep the program going for many years. That could involve putting something on the ballot for Ohio voters to approve, the governor said. DeWine was elected governor in 2018 and won a second four-year term in 2022, so he still has about three years left to govern. But during a video conference call that lasted about 90 minutes, DeWine, 77, told staffers — from the Register and other Ogden Newspapers publications — that he wants to make sure that H2Ohio is a long term effort. H2Ohio includes efforts to improve Ohio's water across the state, but much of it has been focused on battling harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. The blooms can produce toxins that threaten municipal water supplies and also are unhelpful for the state's fishing industry. The H2Ohio program dealing with Lake Erie includes building and restoring wetlands, which provide a natural filter to reduce chemicals that feed harmful algal blooms. The wetlands also provide habitat for wildlife. H2Ohio also offers incentives to farmers to reduce harmful runoff from their farms that feed the blooms. Sandusky's government is building a wetlands that's next to the Cedar Point Causeway. DeWine noted that the program recently expanded to include the H2Ohio Rivers program, which is spending money to improve major Ohio rivers, including the Sandusky River. DeWine — asked if there's a way to make sure that wetlands restoration will continue after he isn't pushing it in Columbus — noted that when he launched his Lake Erie cleanup efforts, state lawmakers were asked to consider a bond issue. Lawmakers balked but instead have been supportive in funding H2Ohio, DeWine said. He said it's time to talk about securing a long-term plan to keep H2Ohio going. "We will be in all likelihood coming back to the legislature with a long-term proposal," DeWine said. "That certainly might involve something going on the ballot. "Don't have anything to announce today," DeWine said. "But we'll certainly be announcing something in the future about a long term plan." Access to big supplies of fresh water from Lake Erie will be an important economic advantage for Ohio in the future, DeWine predicted. "The water we have gives us a great competitive advantage over other states. And we just need to take care of this water," DeWine said. "We need to do it for the quality of life of our people. We need to do it so that we can continue to grow and create jobs."