AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS (ASCE) INFRASTRUCTURE REPORT CARD

OHIO - Overall grade C-

Ohio roadways and bridges carry the third highest freight volume in the U.S., and accommodate the sixth most vehicle miles travelled, making the state an essential tool in the national economy. While surface transportation, rail, ports and inland waterways are all meeting the needs of Ohioans, continued investment is needed to sustain these volumes, expand the local economy, and ensure no sector is left behind.

Drinking Water - D+

$13.4 billion total drinking water need over 20 years

Drinking water infrastructure in Ohio has sufficient source, treatment, and distribution networks and facilities to meet current and expected residential and commercial demands. In the last decade, many large water utilities have improved their treatment systems to meet increasingly stringent regulations, addressed new water quality challenges, and increased infrastructure reliability and resilience. While these investments stretch limited funds, they are made at the expense of Ohio’s aging distribution network. Currently, the system experiences greater than 35% water losses and breaks are projected to increase by 36% in some areas over the next 20 years. Most available funding for drinking water systems is in the form of loans.

Wastewater - C-

$17.0 B to meet the water quality and human health goals of the Clean Water Act (CWA)

Approximately 81% of Ohio’s 11.8 M residents rely on municipal wastewater collection systems and treatment plants. Much of this infrastructure is old and in need of repair, upgrade, or replacement. According to survey results published in the 2016 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS), Ohio needs $17.0 B to meet the water quality and human health goals of the Clean Water Act (CWA). An Ohio survey published in 2019 found annual rates have increased for a typical customer by almost 70% in the last 10 years. It is likely that this trend will continue as a further emphasis on CSO reductions and elimination of SSO outfalls occur.

Bridges - C+

27,167 bridges, 5.4% of which were structurally deficient in 2019

Ohio is home to 44,736 bridges, of which 58% are rated in good condition, 36% are in satisfactory or fair condition and 6% are in poor condition. There are 2,012 (4.5%) bridges that require a reduced load capacity and 200 that are closed altogether.

Dams - C-

412 high hazard dams

There are more than 2,500 dams in Ohio of which 1,472 are state-regulated. Of the Ohio Dam Safety regulated dams, 33% are deficient, and nearly 80% have Emergency Action Plans, slightly less than the national average. Nearly 60% of Ohio dams are privately owned.

Inland Waterways - D+

440 miles of inland waterways

The Ohio River is a fully “impounded” river with a series of 19 navigation dams, carries more commercial tonnage than any other impounded river in the world, and links commercial navigation from the eastern third of the country to the Mississippi River basin and Gulf Coast. Ohio’s inland waterway system is comprised of 451 miles of the Ohio River and 9 navigation locks and dams. Commodities passing through these locks and dams in 2018 were valued at $5.66 B. There is an estimated need of approximately $120 M to address critical maintenance over the next 15 years. However, a “Fix as Fail” approach to repairs accompanied by unreliable funding streams is likely to increase the frequency of failures and outage times in the future, which would result in economic losses to Ohio and the nation.

Levees - D

321 miles of levees protect 95,400 residents.

Levee systems are vitally important to large portions of the State of Ohio, as it faces flood risk from multiple threats, most significantly from the Ohio River Valley and Lake Erie. Ohio’s network of levees reduces flood risk for more than 151,000 people and $27.5 B in property. However, a majority of the state’s levees are nearly 50 years old or more, which is beyond their design life. The mechanical and electrical components of these systems are deteriorating, requiring replacements or an increase in costly maintenance. The large majority of levee systems in Ohio have not had risk assessments performed to classify their condition, and there are no consistent standards associated with the maintenance and ongoing inspection of levees in the state.

Ports - C

7 major water ports

Ohio’s ports have 716 miles of navigable waterways, are 8th in the nation for annual tonnage, and annually move goods valued at over $11 B. Currently, the state’s ports are aging with insufficient infrastructure to handle modern cargo in the 21st century. More importantly, ports in Ohio are undercapitalized to address future trends and infrastructure needs.

Wastewater - C-

Approximately 81% of Ohio’s 11.8 M residents rely on municipal wastewater collection systems and treatment plants. Much of this infrastructure is old and in need of repair, upgrade, or replacement. According to survey results published in the 2016 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS), Ohio needs $17.0 B to meet the water quality and human health goals of the Clean Water Act (CWA). An Ohio survey published in 2019 found annual rates have increased for a typical customer by almost 70% in the last 10 years. It is likely that this trend will continue as a further emphasis on CSO reductions and elimination of SSO outfalls occur.

Full Report

https://infrastructurereportcard.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/FullReport-OH_2021_smaller.pdf