CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — Central Ohio’s water future is coming into sharp focus, and the picture isn’t entirely comforting.

A comprehensive new regional water study released this month warns that explosive population growth, massive new industrial projects (especially data centers), and the need for summer crop irrigation will push many local water systems to the limit within the next 15–25 years. While raw water supplies appear adequate almost everywhere, treatment plants and wastewater facilities are already on track to be overwhelmed in several locations.

The Central Ohio Regional Water Study — a two-year, multi-agency effort led by the Ohio EPA, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and Ohio Water Development Authority — modeled water supply, demand, treatment capacity, and water quality

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