By Nathalia Teixeira / Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.

The process of cleaning water so humans can use it is demanding. Organizations such as the Ohio EPA operate to certify the water quality is drinkable and usable for our daily tasks.

But as citizens, we are also responsible for how much water we waste and must be mindful of how water conservation is important for the environment.

The passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 improved water quality. However, experts say improvements have stalled - and how much water we waste may make it harder to start improving again.

"We are really cautious about saying that water quality still doesn't have room for improvement," said Rich Cogen, executive director of the Ohio River Foundation.

Columbus supplies more than 51 billion gallons of water annually to 1.25 million people. The average person in the city uses about 112 gallons per day.

According to the U.S. EPA, the average American household uses more than 300 gallons of water per day.

"Household use of water, many times, is the way that most people will waste water," said Lydia Rose, an associate sociology professor at Kent State and environmental sociologist.

In 2014, 40 states told the federal government they expected water shortages in the coming decade. Rose said many of us no longer think of water as "precious," but humans rely on less than 1% of the water on the planet to support people and animals.

"We sometimes don't think of how precious this water is as a resource," Rose said. "There's only so much water on our planet. When we waste it, when we don't take care of it - in terms of making sure that sewage doesn't contaminate our waters - we can really run into some big problems in some communities where water is a scarce resource."

Cogen said the more water we use, the more wastewater we create.

Wastewater can take two forms: direct sanitary sewage from houses and offices; and stormwater runoff, which comes from streets and lawns and may contain pesticides, herbicide or pollution from vehicles.

That wastewater must be treated by utilities before it can then be discharged into our waterways. So, the cost and expense of treating water are proportional to the amount of wastewater we create.

"The way that converges - if we were to use less water in our homes and our businesses and they were able to treat and handle that lower volume of wastewater, then they would be better able also to treat the volume of water that they get in stormwater runoff or even the runoff from our lawns when we water our lawns," Cogen said. "So the less water we use can translate into better treatment at the utility of the wastewater that it receives."

The volume of wastewater the utility receives is not necessarily released to waterways in pristine condition. Instead, wastewater is allowed to be released into the waterway with small amounts of pollution, as long as it meets certain water quality criteria.

"If, in fact, we're able to use less wastewater and send less wastewater to that utility for treatment, then it will then discharge a lower volume of wastewater to the receiving water," Cogen said.

Cogen said that when it rains, then utilities may have to release some untreated wastewater because they can't handle both the wastewater and stormwater at the same time. These releases are known as combined sewer overflows.

"These combined sewer overflows are still very prevalent in many of our cities in the Ohio River watershed," Cogen said. "We're talking about billions of gallons a year flowing into these receiving waters."

The importance of water goes beyond individuals conserving water at home. Cities and builders need to manage the use of water when developing land as well, Cogen said.

"We have to be cognizant of the impact - the increased water usage and thereby increased wastewater discharge that we are asking our utilities to handle go hand in hand," Cogen said. "It's not to say that we should avoid development, but we... should be definitely redeveloping sites as opposed to developing new sites [of watershed]. We also could reduce the amount of water that we use through the implementation of better landscapes that require less water."

Cogen gave the example of Cincinnati, where some residents have torn out their lawns or begun relying on rainwater to water them. They also put in trees, bushes and plants that require less watering and less maintenance than a lawn would require.

Another example is installing more efficient showers and toilets.

"Technology has definitely improved over the last five or 10 years concerning toilets and showerheads," Cogen said. "People should take a look at those options, which are also cost-effective for them."

Even these small steps lead us to a more sustainable society, Rose said.

"The term 'sustainability' is really about making sure that we have what we need to survive in the long run and not overuse," Rose said. "If we're going to tie sustainability and water use together, we have to be mindful of how we're using water and where it is that we can conserve that water so that the next generations will have the water that they need, particularly in communities where water is very scarce."

At the state level, H2Ohio is a comprehensive water quality effort that was introduced by Gov. Mike DeWine in 2019 and is attempting to systematically address water issues that have been accumulating in Ohio for decades.

These issues include lead pollution from outdated water pipes and fixtures, dangerous algal blooms on Lake Erie brought on by phosphorus runoff from farm fertilizer, failing drinking water, wastewater, and household sewage treatment systems, and more.

"Each of these major issues impacts water quality in a negative way," Ohio EPA spokesperson Anthony Chenault said in an email. "By focusing on correcting these issues, water quality will continue to improve."

This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.


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Clean drinking water doesn't just come from replacing lead pipes. Solutions also rest on Minnesota's farm fields, and this time of year, some rural acreage has been planted with seeds designed to do winter magic before the next growing season.

Cover crops are typically planted going into in a farmer's offseason and are meant to improve soil health before a main crop, like corn, is prioritized the following spring and summer.

Peter LaFontaine, agricultural policy manager with Friends of the Mississippi River, said newer varieties of winter cover crops have come on the scene, potentially changing the dynamics when it comes to profits. On the sustainability side, protecting waterways is still a benefit.

"If you have crops that are providing some more of that natural cover during winter, you wind up with a more resilient system. These crops do a phenomenal job of addressing things like nitrogen loss," he said.

Traditional plants like cereal rye have been helpful with those water quality efforts. But products like winter camelina are getting more attention these days because they have a bigger potential as a dual benefit. They can be harvested for the sustainable jet fuel market. Overall, the cover crop movement still faces headwinds, with an adoption rate below 3% for Minnesota's farmland.

Agriculture experts say Minnesota's harsh winters can be disruptive to cover crops, and it can take time for a producer to fully realize the economic benefits of improved soil quality, such as less flooding in fields.

Anne Schwagerl, western Minnesota farmer and vice president of the Minnesota Farmers Union, has long planted these seeds and is now experimenting with the "cash cover crops." She predicts they'll help with the momentum issue.

"The old adage in farming is don't plant something you don't have a market for. Well, this is something we actually got a market for," she explained.

Schwagerl noted that the biofuels market has a strong appetite for winter camelina. There are federal conservation programs that provide incentives for using cover crops. It's unclear how much extra support will be provided as Congress debates the next Farm Bill.

Despite Minnesota's low adoption rate, more farms were trying cover crops in 2022 compared to 2017. That's according to the Census of Agriculture, released every five years.

Minnesota is credited for having strong wetland protections. But the research community warns the growing presence of factory farms in the Midwest makes it harder to shield these natural resources.

A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists says 30 million acres of wetlands in the Upper Midwest are at risk of destruction by industrial agriculture and other heavy industries.

The authors said the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to strip some federal protections from wetlands accelerates the potential loss.

The Research Director for the Union's Food & Environment program Stacy Woods said because of the role wetlands play in flood mitigation, states in this region are likely to have a harder time limiting damage from a major rain event.

"We know that flooding is a significant issue," said Woods. "It's expensive, and it's getting worse as the climate warms."

While Minnesota's laws might help offset some of the federal impact, the report says neighboring states like South Dakota and Iowa are more vulnerable to wetland loss.

It says priorities of the incoming Trump administration could further complicate protections - but if lawmakers can agree, there could be opportunities in the Farm Bill debate to bolster existing conservation programs.

Wetlands can capture and slow flood waters that threaten homes, but Woods pointed out they do so much more.

"They're often called nature's kidneys, because they provide such a service in cleaning our waterways," said Woods. "But when we dump so much pesticide and fertilizer, and other pollutants onto our fields, that can run off into these wetlands and really impact the wetlands' ability to clean our water."

Meanwhile, researchers say one acre of wetlands provides $745 of flood mitigation benefits to residential homes.

Without wetlands, they say homeowners and taxpayers absorb those costs through the National Flood Insurance Program.




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The most current study from the Environmental Protection Agency estimated more than 143 million Americans are at risk of drinking water tainted with PFAS chemicals, including in Texas.

Water utility companies across the country tested their drinking water for 29 different PFAS compounds. They are known as "forever chemicals," because they do not break down easily in the environment or the body.

Neil Carman, clean air program director of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, said the man-made chemicals are found in everyday products.

"Nonstick pans like Teflon, also stain-resistant fabrics, like Gore-Tex and waterproof clothing," Carman outlined. "The biggest source is probably from the firefighting foam."

He pointed out when firefighters use the foam to extinguish a fire, it is left on the ground and seeps into nearby water sources.

Some supporters of President-elect Donald Trump have said they want to revoke or weaken water standards for six PFAS chemicals. According to the Environmental Working Group, it would leave nearly 46 million Americans with no protections.

The EPA said its data is not yet complete but it has already identified PFAS contamination at almost 8,900 sites nationwide, including more than 100 in Texas. Carman noted the chemicals have been linked to multiple health problems.

"They could cause cancer, they disrupt the immune system, they could interfere with pregnancies, they can cause all kinds of health effects," Carman explained. "We're still learning about them but they're not good."

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is the state agency charged with PFAS enforcement. Carman added a home water filtration system is one option for curbing some toxic chemicals.