About

Who is the Groundwater Consortium?

The Hamilton to New Baltimore Groundwater Consortium is made up of seven local public suppliers/users. All work together to ensure the water you use daily is clean, safe and tastes great! They are also involved in public education and involvement of the community. The consortium manager, Tim McLelland, helps to coordinate the unique goals and interests of the consortium.

Learn More

Vision

Mission

History, Operation & Funding

Partners

Drinking Water Reports

Consortium Members: Public Water Suppliers

Consortium Members: Private Water Suppliers/Users

Vision

The Consortium will serve as the model for regional collaboration in the protection, responsible development and management of our drinking water sources. Our seven members are committed to source water protection of the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer.

Mission: The Consortium Protects the Source of Your Drinking Water

We protect public health by preserving our shared high-quality water resources through a cooperative Source Water Protection Program.

We will accomplish this mission by:

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Assessment

Determining protection zones and inventory pollution sources.

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Management

Proposing land use guidelines and undertaking other activities to minimize the risk of aquifer contamination.



Monitoring

Evaluating water quantity and quality trends through sampling in order to provide early warming of contamination.

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Education

Encouraging good stewarding of our valuable water resource through outreach to decision makers and water users.

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Response

Participating in emergency and non-emergency events to provide technical support on groundwater protection.

Collectively, the Consortium produces over 61 million gallons per day (MGD) for approximately 314,000 residents in southern Butler and northern Hamilton counties as well as a variety of industries and other water users.

History

The Consortium was established in 1967 out of concern that the siting of a major groundwater production facility by Cincinnati Water Works (CWW) in the City of Fairfield would threaten local groundwater supplies. Since its inception, the Consortium’s primary focus has historically been water quantity. Beginning in 1980, however, the Consortium began actively looking at groundwater quality issues as well.

How the Consortium Operates

The Consortium functions through two committees: an Executive Committee and a Public Education Committee. All budget-related decisions and major program issues are finalized by the Executive Committee. The Public Education Committee specifically handles public education activities. Each committee meets monthly but meeting frequency may vary depending on various projects.

Funding Consortium Activites

All SWPP activities are funded annually by Consortium members on the basis of how much water they pump and their status as a public or non-public water supplier. All Consortium contributions for the Source Water Protection Program come from the general operating budgets of each member. The Consortium also periodically receives grants for public education activities.