To protect the source of our drinking water and our groundwater, Dayton initiated a Well Field Protection program in 1988. A key element in the program’s success has been the availability of money in the Well Field Protection Fund to address concerns of pollution near the well fields. Starting in 1988, the Well Field Protection charge was collected at $1 per 1000 cubic feet for all water users. In 1994, the Fund reached its financial limit ($10 million) and collection was placed in abeyance.

After years of inactivity, the Well Field Protection charge will resume this summer at $.05 every 1000 cubic feet to continue to provide funds for protection activities. The Well Field Protection Fund has spent $18 million on protection activities, with $10 million of it being used for grants and loans for risk reduction activities at business sites, including the permanent removal of $16 million pounds of chemicals from the Well Field Protection area. Other pollution prevention activities that have been funded include: installation of monitoring wells to test water quality; clean up of contaminated groundwater at several sites; contracts for assistance from agencies such as Montgomery County Combined Health District; and educational activities like the Children’s Water Festival.