This agreement provides funding under the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA) to the state of ohio

EPA Region 5 awarded the State of Ohio Office of Budget and Management (Ohio EPA) $2.461 million on October 1, 2025, under the Support for the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan program (CFDA 66.485) to implement Ohio's nutrient reduction strategy supporting the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan. Funding extends through September 30, 2028, and operates across Ohio.

The award supports two primary activities: maintaining staff capacity to provide training and technical assistance for planning and design of structural practices that reduce agricultural nutrient loading, and expanding watershed-based planning to develop implementation projects. Work aims to decrease nutrient delivery through the Ohio River Basin via planning, education, implementation projects, and monitoring of best management practices effectiveness.

Ohio EPA passes through funds to the Ohio Department of Agriculture to support personnel expenses for a nutrient management specialist and a conservation engineer. Additional subawards are allocated to sub-recipients following RFP processes. Sub-recipients include Rural Action Inc. (Anthony Run—Dodson Creek Non-Point Implementation Strategies Plan, awarded January 26, 2026), Methodist Theological School in Ohio (Weiser Run Wetland Restoration, awarded January 1, 2026), The Ohio State University (High Clearance Robotic Irrigation for Small Rural Community Wastewater Reuse in Agriculture—$399,971.61 implementation and $99,985.66 research, awarded December 1, 2025), Ohio Department of Agriculture (Ohio River Basin Nutrient Management and Conservation Technical Assistance, awarded October 1, 2025), and Clermont Soil & Water Conservation District (Williamsburg Wetland—Inlet Retrofit, awarded January 15, 2025). Results will be reported through Ohio's Annual Nonpoint Source Program Report, made available on Ohio EPA's website, and shared through the Hypoxia Task Force Coordinating Committee.

The purpose of this agreement is to support and advance the gulf hypoxia action plan through implementation of the recipient's nutrient reduction strategy. The funding will be used for two projects: maintaining staff capacity that will provide training and technical assistance for planning and design of structural practices that reduce agricultural nutrient loading. As well as project that will provide an increase in watershed-based planning to develop implementation projects. Activities:the activities are expected to facilitate reductions in nutrients delivered in the ohio river basin. For projects that did not include direct implementation of practices with measurable pollution loads, reduction is not given. These projections aim to decrease nutrient delivery through planning, education, implementation projects, and monitoring the effectiveness of best management practices (bmos) throughout the ohio river basin. Subrecipient:the ohio EPA will pass through funds to the ohio department of agriculture to fund personnel expenses for a nutrient management specialist and a conservation engineer. Also, subawards will be allocated to subrecipients upon the completion of a RFP processes.outcomes:the deliverables to be provided under this agreement are expected to decrease nutrient delivery in the ohio river basin, although indirectly. These programmatic support changes are not specific implementation practices that have measurable pollution load reductions. Therefore, no pollution load reduction is given. These proposed activities and results will be described in ohio's annual nonpoint source program report and made available on ohio EPA's website. Lessons learned and progress that is transferable will be shared via the hypoxia task force coordinating committee regular meeting structure and the newsletter created to describe hypoxia task force or notable state activities and news. Access to technical assistance and any new hsts or septage resources will be shared through media relevant to those interested parties, such as local news, the ohio federation of soil and water conservation districts meetings or news. Ohio utilizes water quality monitoring at gage stations along with monitoring wastewater treatment systems and environmental assessments on particular watersheds (supporting the states integrated water quality report) to qualitatively and quantitatively measure and track environmental results. Nutrient loads are reported in ohio's mass balance report. Specific projects such as the hsts/septage project will be evaluated for the ability to monitor local reductions, while programmatic projects or changes will be monitored using the measures given above with each numbered item. The intended beneficiaries are the residents of the state of ohio.