{
  "type": "water",
  "pwsid": "OH2400714",
  "name": "Washington Court House",
  "county": "Fayette",
  "population": 14100,
  "producer": true,
  "source_class": "river",
  "label": "Paint Creek (Washington C.H. Reservoirs) + wells",
  "bodies": [
    "Paint Creek",
    "Washington C.H. Reservoir"
  ],
  "intakes": [
    "Washington Ch Reservoir",
    "Washington Ch Paint Creek"
  ],
  "wells": 6,
  "aquifer": "",
  "notes": "About two-thirds of supply is surface water impounded from Paint Creek into the city's reservoirs; the remaining third comes from a 6-well groundwater field.",
  "urls": [
    "https://www.recordherald.com/2021/03/18/exploring-the-waste-water-treatment-plant/",
    "https://www.cityofwch.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/156"
  ],
  "chain": [
    "OH2400714"
  ],
  "plants": [
    {
      "n": "Washington Court House Water Treatment Plant",
      "a": "Washington Court House, OH 43160 — exact plant address not confirmed (city offices at 105 N Main St)",
      "la": 39.5342,
      "lo": -83.4396,
      "pt": "approximate",
      "wb": "Paint Creek / Washington C.H. city reservoirs",
      "src": "Water drawn from Paint Creek into the city's own reservoir system (the Washington C.H. Reservoirs), supplemented by wells; exact plant/intake coordinates not confirmed from available sources.",
      "cls": "river",
      "in": [
        {
          "n": "Paint Creek intake",
          "wb": "Paint Creek",
          "role": "primary",
          "src": "Raw water pumped from Paint Creek (which flows through Madison, Fayette, Highland & Ross counties) to fill the city's own off-stream reservoirs before treatment",
          "la": 39.5175,
          "lo": -83.4172,
          "pt": "approximate",
          "sh": 67
        },
        {
          "n": "Washington C.H. city reservoirs",
          "wb": "Washington C.H. city reservoirs (off-stream, filled from Paint Creek)",
          "role": "storage",
          "src": "City-owned off-stream storage reservoirs holding Paint Creek water pumped up for treatment; exact reservoir footprint/location not published",
          "la": 39.5342,
          "lo": -83.4396,
          "pt": "approximate"
        },
        {
          "n": "North-end well field",
          "wb": "Unconsolidated valley aquifer (local sand/gravel; specific unit not published)",
          "role": "secondary",
          "src": "Four wells located behind the water treatment plant on the city's north end, supplementing the Paint Creek surface supply (4 wells)",
          "la": 39.5342,
          "lo": -83.4396,
          "pt": "approximate",
          "sh": 33,
          "wells": [
            "Well 8",
            "Well 9",
            "Well 11",
            "Well 1"
          ]
        },
        {
          "n": "YMCA-farm wells",
          "wb": "Unconsolidated valley aquifer (local sand/gravel; specific unit not published)",
          "role": "secondary",
          "src": "Two wells located on farmland adjacent to the YMCA, feeding the same treatment plant as the North-end wells (2 wells)",
          "la": 39.5342,
          "lo": -83.4396,
          "pt": "approximate",
          "wells": [
            "Well 2",
            "Well Tw-3"
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "facts": {
    "hist": [
      [
        "2021",
        "Wastewater treatment plant reconstruction at the midpoint of a three-year rebuild: rated capacity going from about 12 MGD to 15.9 MGD dry weather and 22.9 MGD wet weather, chlorine gas disinfection…"
      ],
      [
        "2022",
        "Contractor Dugan & Meyers reported the WWTP job as renovating 19 existing structures and building 5 new ones, including a 38-foot-deep influent pump station built with secant walls, a secondary…"
      ],
      [
        "2023",
        "City operated one surface water treatment plant of 3 MGD design capacity under an unconditional Ohio EPA license; crews flushed 862 hydrants, repaired 12 main breaks and added 33 new services."
      ],
      [
        "2026",
        "February: finance director told council that water rates, the lowest in the region at $33.02 for 5,000 gallons, do not cover the cost of service; council moved ahead with a rate study."
      ],
      [
        "2026",
        "August: city manager Joe Denen described a new water treatment plant as the most important infrastructure investment the community will undertake; the project is in planning, engineering and funding.…"
      ]
    ],
    "treat": "One surface water treatment plant with a 3 million gallon per day design capacity. About two-thirds of supply is surface water drawn from Paint Creek and impounded in the city's reservoirs; the remaining third comes from six wells, four behind the water plant at the north end of town and two on a…",
    "press": "Not published. The city's water quality reports carry no distribution pressure figure, and no engineering report giving one was found.",
    "rate": {
      "g": null,
      "n": "The city does not publish a water rate schedule online (the utility page covers billing and payment only). In February 2026 the finance director told council a residential…",
      "m": 33.02
    },
    "imp": [
      [
        "Total Chlorine",
        "0.93",
        "ppm",
        "4 (MRDL)",
        "2023",
        "Range 0.77-1.05; disinfectant residual, compliant."
      ],
      [
        "Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM)",
        "37.77",
        "ppb",
        "80",
        "2023",
        "Range 20.1-51.8; disinfection byproduct, compliant but the highest single result was 51.8."
      ],
      [
        "Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)",
        "12.43",
        "ppb",
        "60",
        "2023",
        "Compliant. The CCR prints a range of 0.0-10.8 alongside a level found of 12.43, which is internally inconsistent in the…"
      ],
      [
        "Turbidity",
        "0.24",
        "NTU",
        "TT (0.3 NTU in…",
        "2023",
        "Highest single reading; 100% of monthly samples met the limit and the yearly average was 0.10."
      ],
      [
        "Nitrate (as N)",
        "0.47",
        "ppm",
        "10",
        "2023",
        "Range 0-0.47. The city deliberately pumps only low-nitrate source water into the reservoirs to hold levels down in a…"
      ],
      [
        "Fluoride",
        "0.418",
        "ppm",
        "4",
        "2023",
        "Compliant."
      ],
      [
        "Atrazine",
        "0.18",
        "ppb",
        "3",
        "2023",
        "Herbicide runoff; well below the MCL."
      ],
      [
        "Alpha emitters",
        "3.66",
        "pCi/L",
        "15",
        "2020",
        "Erosion of natural deposits; monitored less than annually."
      ],
      [
        "Lead",
        "0",
        "ppb",
        "15 (Action…",
        "2022",
        "90th percentile; 0 of 30 samples over the action level."
      ],
      [
        "Copper",
        "0.059",
        "ppm",
        "1.3 (Action…",
        "2022",
        "90th percentile; 0 of 30 samples over the action level."
      ]
    ],
    "proj": [
      [
        "Wastewater treatment plant reconstruction",
        null,
        "2021",
        "unknown",
        "Rebuild raising capacity from about 12 MGD to 15.9 MGD dry weather and 22.9 MGD wet weather, switching chlorine gas disinfection to UV, adding enhanced…"
      ],
      [
        "Dayton Avenue culvert replacement",
        null,
        "2026",
        "completed",
        "Drainage project funded by an Ohio Public Works Commission grant with help from the Fayette County Engineer's Office."
      ]
    ],
    "plan": [
      [
        "New water treatment plant",
        null,
        "2026",
        "planned",
        "In preliminary planning, engineering and funding as of August 2026; the city manager called it the most important infrastructure investment the community will…"
      ],
      [
        "Eyman Park dam removal on Paint Creek",
        null,
        "2026",
        "planned",
        "Grant-funded removal of an aging dam and accumulated debris, intended to improve stream function and water quality on Paint Creek."
      ],
      [
        "Water rate increase",
        null,
        "2026",
        "proposed",
        "Council has a rate study underway; the city manager said any increase would be gradual rather than a large one-time jump. Sewer and tap fees for new…"
      ]
    ],
    "stress": "The 2023 CCR rates the supply as having a high susceptibility to contamination. Paint Creek and the well field sit in heavily farmed country with a moderate number of potential contaminant sources, including mega-dairy operations, and agricultural runoff is named as the primary threat. The city manages that by pumping only low-nitrate…",
    "sew": {
      "s": "City-owned wastewater treatment plant discharging to Paint Creek. A multi-year reconstruction, at midpoint in March 2021, raised rated capacity from about 12 MGD to 15.9 MGD in dry weather and 22.9 MGD in wet weather, replaced chlorine gas disinfection with UV, added enhanced phosphorus removal for aquatic life, and installed generators…",
      "st": "No separate stormwater utility fee was found in any published source. The city does fund drainage work case by case: a Dayton Avenue culvert replacement was completed in 2026 with an Ohio Public Works Commission grant, and removal of the Eyman Park dam on…"
    },
    "fun": [
      "Washington Court House blends its water: roughly two-thirds is Paint Creek water impounded in city reservoirs and one-third comes from six wells, four sitting right behind the water plant on the north end and two on a…",
      "The whole city runs on one surface water plant rated at just 3 million gallons a day, staffed in 2023 by two Class III, one Class II and three Class I operators.",
      "It is the cheapest water in the region and the city says that is the problem: $33.02 a month for 5,000 gallons in early 2026, against $51.14 in Greenfield, $52.99 in Circleville and $59.31 in Hillsboro, with finance…",
      "The wastewater plant traded chlorine gas for ultraviolet light during its rebuild, a change the project manager framed as safer for the surrounding community, and the treated effluent goes back into Paint Creek upstream…"
    ],
    "src": {
      "history": [
        "https://www.recordherald.com/2021/03/18/exploring-the-waste-water-treatment-plant/",
        "https://dugan-meyers.com/washington-court-house-wastewater-treatment-plant/",
        "https://www.cityofwch.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/170",
        "https://www.recordherald.com/2026/02/12/wch-city-council-eyes-water-rate-hike-to-cover-rising-costs/"
      ],
      "treatment": [
        "https://www.cityofwch.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/170"
      ],
      "rates": [
        "https://www.recordherald.com/2026/02/12/wch-city-council-eyes-water-rate-hike-to-cover-rising-costs/",
        "https://www.recordherald.com/2026/08/27/wch-city-council-reviews-utility-rates-approves-cemetery-fees/",
        "https://www.cityofwch.com/199/Utility-Department"
      ],
      "impurities": [
        "https://www.cityofwch.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/170"
      ],
      "projects": [
        "https://www.recordherald.com/2021/03/18/exploring-the-waste-water-treatment-plant/",
        "https://dugan-meyers.com/washington-court-house-wastewater-treatment-plant/",
        "https://www.recordherald.com/2026/08/13/wch-city-council-discusses-water-plant-progress-infrastructure-and-resident-concerns/"
      ],
      "planned": [
        "https://www.recordherald.com/2026/08/13/wch-city-council-discusses-water-plant-progress-infrastructure-and-resident-concerns/",
        "https://www.recordherald.com/2026/08/27/wch-city-council-reviews-utility-rates-approves-cemetery-fees/"
      ],
      "water_stress": [
        "https://www.cityofwch.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/170"
      ],
      "sewer": [
        "https://www.recordherald.com/2021/03/18/exploring-the-waste-water-treatment-plant/",
        "https://dugan-meyers.com/washington-court-house-wastewater-treatment-plant/",
        "https://sciotovalleyguardian.com/2026/08/21/wch-council-to-weigh-public-defender-pact-sewer-to-water-loan-payoff/",
        "https://www.recordherald.com/2026/08/13/wch-city-council-discusses-water-plant-progress-infrastructure-and-resident-concerns/"
      ],
      "fun_facts": [
        "https://www.cityofwch.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/170",
        "https://www.recordherald.com/2026/02/12/wch-city-council-eyes-water-rate-hike-to-cover-rising-costs/",
        "https://www.recordherald.com/2021/03/18/exploring-the-waste-water-treatment-plant/"
      ]
    }
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  "zips_served": [
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      "zip": "43160",
      "share": 0.6376,
      "dominant": true
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  "photo": {
    "url": "/photos/OH2400714.jpg",
    "caption": "Fayette County Courthouse in downtown Washington Court House, Ohio",
    "credit": "Christopher L. Riley",
    "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0"
  },
  "url": "https://crackedbuckeye.com/water/OH2400714/",
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  "generated": "2026-09-16",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0 for the compilation; each source keeps its own terms",
  "cite": "Cracked Buckeye (Open Shower Co), \"Washington Court House · OH2400714\", https://crackedbuckeye.com/water/OH2400714/, built 2026-09-16, accessed [date].",
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}