Wednesday, February 02, 2000
Mason asked to ease thirst for water from aquifer
BY KEVIN ALDRIDGE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON — Warren County commissioners want to shut Mason off from the Shaker Creek Buried Valley Aquifer until the rich water source can replenish itself.
Commissioners on Tuesday sent a letter to Mason City Council asking the state's second-fastest growing city to curb its withdrawal from the aquifer. The three-member board said that while a drought last summer may have contributed to the aquifer's declining water levels, Mason's increased usage had the most profound effect.
To reduce Mason's reliance on the aquifer, commissioners have offered to provide Mason with 1.5 million gallons of water per day. The county would sell the water, which it buys from Cincinnati, to Mason at cost.
Without Mason using its wells, Lebanon-area residents with wells would be able to more easily draw water as the aquifer replenishes.
Mason could access the water at two locations: Ohio 741 at Interstate 71 and Mason-Montgomery Road at Hamilton Road. The hookup at Ohio 741 has been used to deliver water when the city has run short.
Commissioners said these connections, coupled with Mason's $5 million deal with the Cincinnati Water Works to increase the city's water system capacity to 12 million gallons per day, should give the aquifer the respite it needs.
“These recommendations are just food for thought that we wanted to put on the table to stimulate further discussions with Mason,” said Commissioner Pat South. “We are all partners when it comes to making sure that the aquifer remains a viable source for everyone in the area that relies on it for water.”
A report by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in September showed the water level of the Shaker Creek aquifer had been declining since the 1970s, and pointed to Mason's 264 percent jump in water use as the primary reason. Hydrogeologists with ODNR's division of water said the aquifer's water table had dropped 27 feet since 1970 and 11.5 feet since 1990.
ODNR began an investigation in August after several people in neighboring Lebanon complained that their wells were being sucked dry because of Mason's consumption.
Don Von Holle, who has lived north of Mason on Ohio 741 for 35 years, said: “It's very frustrating. They took my water away from me.”
He said he had to dig a new well, nearly twice as deep at 98 feet as his old 50-foot one, to ensure a supply of water.
Mason leaders said they are concerned about the aquifer's rate of recovery. City Council hired Malcolm Pirnie Inc. for $46,000 in November to develop a well-field management plan and perform a safe-yield evaluation of the aquifer.
City officials say it is unfair to blame Mason entirely, especially when Monroe, Lebanon, Lebanon Correctional Institution, Warren County and the Otterbein-Lebanon Retirement Community also tap into the aquifer.
“I think the predominant feeling on council is that we will be tying into Cincinnati, which will reduce our draw from the aquifer by at least 50 percent,” said Mason Vice Mayor James Fox. “But ultimately, no matter how much we draw, Mason and every other user are dependent on rainfall to replenish the aquifer.”
Mr. Fox said council is taking county commissioners' recommendations under advisement, but any decisions about tapping into county lines would have to wait until results from the well-field management study are known this spring.
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