WAYNE LAKES — The Village of Wayne Lakes is one of 70 projects receiving state grants to address critical water and wastewater infrastructure projects in Ohio communities. In total, 58 counties will receive more than $114 million. Wayne Lakes’ share of the grant money is $3.35 million.

The funding comes from Governor DeWine’s Ohio BUILDS (Broadband, Utilities, and Infrastructure for Local Development Success) water infrastructure grant program, administered through the Ohio Department of Development.

Today’s award will support Wayne Lakes with the Sanitary Sewer Collection System. The current on-lot septic systems are not up to current standards and are in a failing state.

“Ohio is the heart of opportunity, and for our state to continue to thrive, we must ensure that more communities have steady access to reliable, clean water,” said Governor DeWine. “My administration is committed to supporting as many local communities as possible with water projects that will improve quality of life and give residents more opportunities to live up to their God-given potential.”

The announcement is the fourth round awarded through the program, which opened in July 2021. In total, more than $360 million has been awarded to 253 critical infrastructure projects through the Ohio BUILDS water infrastructure grant program.

The village has previously received the OWDA grant, RPIG (CDBG) grant, H2 Ohio grant and U.S. Army Corp grant.

“At Development, we’re working to build strong communities so that when people come to our state, we have the infrastructure and amenities to support them,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of Development. “We’re grateful to the Ohio legislature for additional funding to make these critical investments and help prepare our communities for continued growth.”

In total, the program received more than 1,200 grant applications requesting nearly $1.4 billion in funding.

Funds awarded will help reduce or eliminate the local financial burden associated with critical infrastructure needs such as the construction of new water systems, the replacement of aging water lines, and the installation of new water mains. Grants will also fund projects to prevent sewer system backups and replace failing household sewage treatment systems with new sewers.

The Ohio BUILDS water infrastructure grants are a continuation of Governor DeWine’s H2Ohio initiative, which launched in 2019 to focus on ensuring plentiful, clean, and safe water for communities across the state.

Ohio BUILDS focuses not only on strengthening Ohio’s communities through water infrastructure upgrades, but also supports other necessary investments in targeted solutions that impact quality of life such as broadband expansion, brownfield redevelopment, the demolition of blighted buildings, and more.

Additional information on the Ohio BUILDS water infrastructure grant program can be found on the program webpage.

The Ohio Department of Development empowers communities to succeed by investing in Ohio’s people, places, and businesses. Learn more about our work at development.ohio.gov.