{
  "type": "water",
  "pwsid": "OH0904012",
  "name": "Hamilton Public Water System",
  "county": "Butler",
  "population": 62447,
  "producer": true,
  "source_class": "groundwater",
  "label": "Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer (wells)",
  "bodies": [],
  "intakes": [],
  "wells": 21,
  "aquifer": "Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer",
  "notes": "21 wells (North Well Field) drawn from the lower Great Miami River Buried Valley Aquifer System near the Great Miami River; Hamilton is well known for this groundwater source (repeatedly rated best-tasting tap water).",
  "urls": [
    "https://www.hamilton-oh.gov/utility-operations",
    "https://data.epa.gov/efservice/WATER_SYSTEM_FACILITY/PWSID/OH0904012/JSON"
  ],
  "chain": [
    "OH0904012"
  ],
  "plants": [
    {
      "n": "South Water Treatment Plant",
      "a": "5140 River Road, Fairfield, OH 45014",
      "la": 39.335,
      "lo": -84.573,
      "pt": "approximate",
      "wb": "Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer",
      "src": "Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer, drawn from 16 production wells scattered through the City of Fairfield along the Great Miami River (river-induced infiltration), treated at the plant on River Road in Fairfield",
      "cls": "groundwater",
      "in": [
        {
          "n": "South Well Field (Fairfield)",
          "wb": "Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer - thick sand and gravel left by glacial meltwater, recharged by the Great Miami River",
          "role": "primary",
          "src": "16 wells spread across Fairfield along the Great Miami River, feeding the 40 MGD South plant at 5140 River Road (16 wells · not published)",
          "la": 39.335,
          "lo": -84.573,
          "pt": "plant",
          "wells": [
            "Well 2",
            "Well 3",
            "Well 4",
            "Well 5",
            "Well 6",
            "Well 8",
            "Well 10",
            "Well 11",
            "Well 16",
            "Well 17",
            "Well 18",
            "Well 19",
            "Well 20",
            "Well 21",
            "Well 22",
            "Well 23"
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "n": "North Water Treatment Plant (standby)",
      "a": "North plant site, St. Clair Township, Butler County, OH (near New Miami, north of Hamilton along the Great Miami River)",
      "la": 39.415,
      "lo": -84.548,
      "pt": "approximate",
      "wb": "Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer",
      "src": "Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer at a well field about 2 miles north of the city, on a ~100-acre site over the aquifer in St. Clair Township, just outside Hamilton's city limits near New Miami",
      "cls": "groundwater",
      "in": [
        {
          "n": "North Well Field",
          "wb": "Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer - shallow glacial sand and gravel outwash along the Great Miami River",
          "role": "secondary",
          "src": "Five production wells on the North plant site itself, north of Hamilton near the Great Miami River, feeding a 6 MGD plant (5 wells · not published)",
          "la": 39.415,
          "lo": -84.548,
          "pt": "plant",
          "wells": [
            "Well 3",
            "Well 5",
            "Well 6",
            "Well 7",
            "Well 8"
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "facts": {
    "hist": [
      [
        "1884",
        "Hamilton has owned and operated its own municipal water utility continuously since 1884, drawing on the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer."
      ],
      [
        "2015",
        "Hamilton's tap water took the gold medal for Best Municipal Water at the 25th anniversary Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting in West Virginia."
      ],
      [
        "2020s",
        "Ohio EPA awarded Hamilton a $500,000 lead service line replacement grant, matched by $500,000 in city funds, targeting about 100 properties in the 45011 and 45015 ZIP codes."
      ]
    ],
    "treat": "Groundwater from 21 wells in the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer feeds two lime-softening plants: the South WTP (40 MGD, 16 production wells in Fairfield) and the North WTP (6 MGD, 5 on-site wells). Water is softened, stabilized, filtered, disinfected with chlorine dioxide rather than chlorine…",
    "press": "not published — the city publishes plant capacities (40 MGD South, 6 MGD North) and 289 miles of water main, but no system-wide average psi figure in materials reviewed.",
    "rate": {
      "g": null,
      "n": "Not substantiated. The city's utilities-rates page states rates combine fixed and usage-based charges but publishes no per-ccf or per-1,000-gallon figure; the schedule lives in…",
      "m": null
    },
    "imp": [],
    "proj": [
      [
        "Lead service line replacement program",
        1000000,
        "",
        "under construction",
        "$500,000 Ohio EPA grant covers the private-side line (curb stop to building); $500,000 city match covers the public right-of-way portion. ~100 properties."
      ],
      [
        "Lead service line replacement during water main renewal",
        null,
        "",
        "under construction",
        "City replaces known city-owned lead lines whenever it replaces the connecting water main, and supplies filter pitchers to affected customers."
      ]
    ],
    "plan": [
      [
        "Continued lead service line inventory and replacement",
        null,
        "",
        "planned",
        "City maintains an interactive lead service line map, updated as data improves. Private-side replacement cost remains the owner's responsibility."
      ]
    ],
    "stress": "Low relative stress: the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer is a large, well-recharged groundwater source and the system averages 18.5 MGD against 46 MGD of combined plant capacity. The vulnerability named in city sources is legacy lead service lines in older neighborhoods, not source-water scarcity.",
    "sew": {
      "s": "Hamilton runs its own Water Reclamation Facility, returning an average of 8.5 million gallons per day of treated water to the Great Miami River and able to accept up to 48 MGD during severe storms, plus about six dry tons of solids daily for reuse. The Water Reclamation Division also operates a satellite wastewater plant and seven…",
      "st": "The city operates one storm water pump station alongside its wastewater system. No dedicated citywide stormwater utility fee was found in the sources reviewed."
    },
    "fun": [
      "Hamilton's tap water won gold for Best Municipal Water at the 25th anniversary Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting, the competition's silver-jubilee year.",
      "Unlike most U.S. utilities, Hamilton disinfects with chlorine dioxide instead of chlorine — a choice locals credit for the water's mild flavor.",
      "The city has run its own waterworks since 1884, pulling from 21 wells in the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer through 289 miles of water main to about 25,000 customers.",
      "Hamilton's wastewater plant returns about 8.5 million gallons a day to the Great Miami River and can swallow up to 48 million gallons on a severe storm day."
    ]
  },
  "zips_served": [
    {
      "zip": "45015",
      "share": 0.973,
      "dominant": true
    },
    {
      "zip": "45013",
      "share": 0.5871,
      "dominant": true
    },
    {
      "zip": "45011",
      "share": 0.297,
      "dominant": false
    },
    {
      "zip": "45014",
      "share": 0.0061,
      "dominant": false
    }
  ],
  "photo": null,
  "url": "https://crackedbuckeye.com/water/OH0904012/",
  "api": "https://crackedbuckeye.com/api/water/OH0904012.json",
  "generated": "2026-09-16",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0 for the compilation; each source keeps its own terms",
  "cite": "Cracked Buckeye (Open Shower Co), \"Hamilton Public Water System · OH0904012\", https://crackedbuckeye.com/water/OH0904012/, built 2026-09-16, accessed [date].",
  "schema": "https://crackedbuckeye.com/api/schema.json"
}