After the crisis in Flint, Michigan sparked a national inquiry into lead contamination in drinking water, and events in Sebring, Ohio raised questions locally, the Ohio General Assembly introduced a multifaceted piece of legislation that includes new requirements for Ohio public water systems to respond to lead in drinking water.
Ohio House Bill 512 (H.B. 512), sponsored by Representative Timothy E. Ginter (R- Salem), and introduced on April 7, 2016, establishes sampling, corrosion control, individual tap action levels, more stringent public notification deadlines, higher administrative enforcement penalties, requirements for identifying and mapping lead infrastructure in public water systems, and financial assistance for communities and schools with concerns over lead in their drinking water.
The key provisions of H.B. 512, and its proposed changes to Ohio’s laws regarding lead in drinking water, are summarized in this publication.
