PRESS RELEASE FROM ANGOLA WATER DEPARTMENT

ANGOLA - Recent growth in agricultural irrigation and proposals for large water withdrawals to the east in Ohio have prompted the City of Angola to undertake a Water Availability Study to identify limits of the potential water supply in the county.

Results from that study indicate that in the historic period of record from 2007 to 2020, there has not been a conflict between water withdrawals for public water supply and other uses in the county; natural replenishment of groundwater sources has been adequate to supply all users, and in particular the City of Angola supply has not suffered.

However, increased development of agricultural supplies, continued development to the east, and changing climate conditions could alter the availability of water in the region in the future.

INTERA, the consultant performing the work for the city, presented study results at a public meeting on January 18, 2023.

A key recommendation of the study is to develop a groundwater monitoring network that can supplement existing hydrologic data in the region.
A volunteer network of homeowner wells can be used to collect and transmit real-item data for assessing groundwater conditions in the region.

Effects of summer irrigation and increasing groundwater withdrawals can then be directly monitored to assess changing conditions that could impact the city or county water supplies.

As the groundwater system is directly connected to the many lakes and streams surrounding Angola, the network would act as a sentinel system for monitoring the health of the water resources of the county.

The city is currently soliciting volunteers from homeowners with wells in areas in and around the city.

If you own a private well and would like to volunteer to be part of the monitoring network, please contact Tom Selman, Water Superintendent for the City of Angola at 260-665-9363 or
water@angolain.org for more information.