Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2009, Environmental Sciences

The Village of Gratis is located in southwest Ohio. The Ohio Environmental ProtectionAgency (OEPA) determined that the Gratis drinking water system is highly susceptible to contamination. For this practicum, a geographic information system (GIS) study using the DRASTIC and SEEPAGE models was conducted to verify the ground-water vulnerability in the Gratis protection area. High susceptibility to contamination and elevated nitrate concentrations in the public water supply led to the creation of a sourcewater protection plan. The plan was developed by a diverse team of local stakeholders and submitted to the OEPA for endorsement in 2009. Source-water protection in Gratis includes outreach and education strategies to prevent future contamination and prepare for timely response in the event of emergency. By implementing the protection plan, the Village of Gratis will reduce their water treatment cost and provide safe drinking water for the community.

Committee: Jonathan Levy Dr. (Advisor); Mark Boardman Dr. (Committee Member); John Maingi Dr. (Committee Member); Sandra Woy-Hazleton Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Science; Geology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, City and Regional Planning

In the U.S, amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1996 established requirements for states to administer source water protection (SWP) for public drinking water systems. Under direction from state-level agencies and water industry organizations, public water systems create protection plans for drinking water sources. Public water systems are tasked with ensuring clean, safe, and sustainable drinking water. Protection and management efforts by public water systems to reduce the risk of drinking water contamination rely on local land use-based policies and interventions (regulatory and non-regulatory) before the treatment process; yet drinking water protection programs have received less attention in the field of planning. At the same time, updates to the American Planning Association's Policy Guide on Water (2016) called for an integrated approach to land use planning and water management. This reframing to acknowledge a land-water nexus faces challenges in both research and practice; however, barriers exist in collaboration and decision-making across jurisdictions for shared resources and in creating institutions that support the integration of historically separate planning and management sectors and activities. Literature suggests that such an approach to integrated resource management requires effective governance. Thus, I argue that local SWP and related programs present an opportunity to examine integration in practice, with a focus on governance and local resource management. Drawing from collaborative planning, governance, and integrated water resources management literatures, as well as survey results from a study of SWP planning across the Upper Midwest, I assessed five SWP plans/programs in Ohio. Using a multiple-case study design to structure my analyses, I focused on SWP plans/programs for three groundwater and two surface water systems in Ohio. Document analysis and semi-structured interviews were conducted with public water system repres (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Maria Conroy (Advisor); Mattijs Van Maasakkers (Committee Member); Kendra McSweeney (Committee Member) Subjects: Urban Planning