Ohio EPA won’t mediate water dispute between Dayton, Montgomery County

DAYTON — The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency won’t mediate water issues between the city of Dayton and Montgomery County.

RELATED: Dayton, Montgomery County at odds over water

The county and city are at odds over issues involving the water system.

Under their ongoing contract, Dayton pumps the water from wells, then treats it and sends it to the county to distribute it to homes and businesses. The county has said it is concerned about contamination problems that have been discussed for many months without resolution.

Power problems that resulted from the Memorial Day tornadoes also are an issue.

Neither entity has said the water is unsafe to drink.

RELATED: County: City water issues put community at risk

In a letter obtained tonight by this news organization, the Ohio EPA told the county the EPA does not have the authority, nor is it in a position, to mediate issues of concern regarding their water service agreement.

RELATED: County expresses concern about region’s drinking water quality

Toni Bankston, spokeswoman for the city of Dayton, released the following statement in response to the letter to Montgomery County from the Ohio EPA:

"As the largest purveyor of water in the region, we are pleased to see Ohio EPA reaffirm what we have communicated to our customers. The city of Dayton provides high quality water to its customers, meeting or exceeding all regulatory requirements. As referenced in OEAP's letter, Dayton has one of the most comprehensive source water protection programs in Ohio, due to our multi-jurisdictional approach to guarding the public water supply.

We will continue to reach out to Montgomery County and all of our customers to ensure open communication."