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'We're like 9 inches below where we should be': Continued drought conditions pose threat to homeowners reliant on well-water

The owner of Able Well Drilling says the continued dry conditions could cause loss of water in homes across Wood County due to the severe drought warning.

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Dry conditions are continuing to plague the northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan areas, and while there have been some spurts of rain this fall, much of the area has been under a severe drought warning since the end of August.

The lack of moisture has continued to have an impact on crops, however, a new concern has begun for homeowners and people who rely on well water.

Last Thursday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced natural disaster declarations for multiple counties in northwest Ohio.

Jeff Klein, director of the Wood County Emergency Management Agency, says it's due to the continued drought across the state.

"We're down substantially the amount of water we should really have ... and most of us don't really think of it. We grow up in the city, we live in the city, we turn the faucet on and there's water there," Klein said. "We're like nine inches below where we should be."

According to WTOL 11 Chief Meteorologist Chris Vickers the greater Toledo area is currently ranked a 3/5 on the severity level.

He said that so far, Toledo has gotten just over three inches of rain this fall, which is almost three and a half inches below average, making the fall of 2024 the second driest Autumn in the past 50 years.

"Without the rain the groundwater, they (the wells) don't fill up so they start getting low which really could impact a lot of the drinking water and the water that people use," Klein said.

This impact could be a lack of water pressure, discolored or contaminated water, or in severe cases, running out of water due to lowered water levels in the wells.

For the past 42 years, James Williams has been servicing wells and installing wells around and in Wood County. He said the main issue is a lack of water in the upper half of the ground, which is split into different layers.

If the water level drops too low, he says it can cause problems with quality, making the water undrinkable and dangerous.

"What we see affecting right now is probably the upper zone of what we call surface water, a lot of sandpoints, which we find in Lucas County, Sylvania, Ottawa, some of those areas," Williams said.

Williams said these sandpoints are important as they help to ensure wells work safely and efficiently to provide customers with clean and reliable water.

However, if water levels drop too much, it can lead to contamination. This means it could take years for that water to return and cause other issues like leaks, which can be expensive to repair.

"You know, an average service call just to go out and investigate it based on who's doing it, I suppose it could range from $94-225," Williams said.

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