LEBANON — Mason and communities that depend on an increasingly strained aquifer for water are worried about the possibility of Lebanon's bringing its bucket to the same table.

        Lebanon officials are considering paying almost $1.5 million for 130 acres between U.S. 42 and Ohio 741 in Turtlecreek Township, southwest of the city. City Council will discuss the issue tonight, and a decision could be made at its next meeting, Feb. 13.

        The land sits atop the Shaker Creek Aquifer, an underground formation of sand and gravel that stores water. The site would be used for well fields and possibly industrial development, city leaders say.

        “We've been concerned about the long haul with water,” Councilman Mark Flick has said.

IF YOU GO

What: Lebanon City Council work session     When: 7:30 p.m.     Where: City Hall, 50 S. Broadway

        However, Mason and oth ers already using the Shaker Creek Aquifer say Lebanon cannot count on it long-term.

        “The city is throwing money away on false expectations,” said Turtlecreek resident David Rawnsley, president of a citizens group that has long sought to protect the aquifer.

        It has been depleted by overuse, according to a report from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, with the water level falling 27 feet in the past three decades. It recharges at a rate of just 4 to 7 inches a year, the 1999 report said.

        The city would essentially be taking water from communities that already are using the same part of the aquifer.

        “We have some real concerns about the effects of another city tapping in so close,” Mason Councilman Jim Fox said. “We don't want to deplete it.”

        Mason, the major user, has well fields two miles from Lebanon's proposed site. Monroe and the Lebanon Correctional Institution also pull water in southwest Turtlecreek.

        There's only a finite amount of water, and Mason already has had to cut its draw in half after several Turtlecreek Township residents' private wells went dry during the 1999 drought.

        “Our concern is that the aquifer will be misused to the point that it will cease to be a viable natural resource,” Mr. Rawnsley said.
       

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