{ "type": "water", "pwsid": "OH7704503", "name": "Stow Public Water System", "county": "Summit", "population": 35437, "producer": false, "source_class": "reservoir", "label": "Lake Rockwell (Cuyahoga River impoundment)", "bodies": [ "Lake Rockwell", "Cuyahoga River" ], "intakes": [], "wells": null, "aquifer": "", "notes": "Stow buys 100% of its finished water wholesale from Akron; ultimate raw source is Akron's Lake Rockwell impoundment on the Cuyahoga River.", "urls": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Rockwell" ], "chain": [ "OH7704503", "OH7700011" ], "plants": [], "facts": { "hist": [ [ "1915", "Akron's Lake Rockwell treatment plant - enhanced coagulation, rapid sand filtration - enters service; it still supplies Stow today." ], [ "2001", "Stow is licensed by Ohio EPA to operate its own public water system, while still buying all finished water wholesale from Akron." ], [ "2011", "Akron enters the federal consent decree behind the Akron Waterways Renewed sewer program; Stow's sanitary flow feeds that system." ], [ "2023", "Akron publicly contests U.S. EPA's required $200M+ Enhanced High-Rate Treatment facility as unnecessary, asking residents to speak out." ], [ "2024", "On March 1 a federal judge rules Akron has no legal basis to amend the decree and must build the $209M EHRT facility; Akron appeals." ] ], "treat": "Stow buys 100% finished water from Akron, which treats Lake Rockwell (Upper Cuyahoga) water by enhanced coagulation and rapid sand filtration, then adds chlorine dioxide, zinc orthophosphate for corrosion control, chlorine, fluoride and caustic soda for pH.", "press": "Not published; the 2024 CCR gives no psi. Water enters at the Marsh Rd and N. Main St (Munroe Falls) booster stations; 21% of Akron's system is high-elevation.", "rate": { "g": null, "n": "Not published. Stow bills water on the city utility bill, but no rate schedule appears on stowohio.gov (Utility Billing, Document Center and staff directory pages checked).", "m": null }, "imp": [ [ "TTHM (Total Trihalomethanes)", "74.2", "ppb", "80 ppb", "2024", "Disinfection byproduct; range 30.7-91.5 ppb, no violation." ], [ "HAA5 (Five Haloacetic Acids)", "45.95", "ppb", "60 ppb", "2024", "Disinfection byproduct; range 23.7-47.4 ppb, no violation." ], [ "Copper (90th percentile)", "0.136", "ppm", "1.3 ppm action…", "2024", "Range 0-0.199; 0 of 30 samples over the action level." ], [ "Lead (90th percentile)", "0", "ppb", "15 ppb action…", "2024", "Not detected; 0 of 30 samples over the action level." ], [ "Total Chlorine (residual disinfectant)", "1.3041", "ppm", "4 ppm (MRDL)", "2024", "Stow distribution system; range 0.91-1.64 ppm, no violation." ], [ "Turbidity", "0.18", "NTU", "1 NTU max; 0.3…", "2024", "Measured at Akron's plant; range 0.02-0.18, 100% of samples met the standard." ], [ "Fluoride", "0.98", "ppm", "4 ppm", "2024", "Akron plant data; range 0.77-1.10 ppm." ], [ "Nitrate", "0.33", "ppm", "10 ppm", "2024", "Akron plant data; range 0.02-0.33 ppm, far below the limit." ] ], "proj": [ [ "Akron Waterways Renewed (combined sewer overflow program)", 1000000000, "2011-2028", "under construction", "Consent-decree sewer program; 24 of 26 projects complete, Northside Interceptor Tunnel under construction. Stow's sewage flows into this system." ] ], "plan": [ [ "Enhanced High-Rate Treatment (EHRT) facility", 209000000, "2024", "planned", "Final consent-decree project. Akron contested it and lost at district court in March 2024; reporting says combined water/sewer bills could rise ~23%." ] ], "stress": "Stow has no source of its own and depends entirely on Akron's Lake Rockwell reservoir system, which Ohio EPA rated 'moderate susceptibility' in 2003 (farm runoff, septic systems, rail and road spills). Akron's plant is rated 67 MGD and averages 35 MGD for ~300,000 people, so supply is ample; the real pressure is consent-decree sewer cost.", "sew": { "s": "Stow's sewage goes to Akron's Water Reclamation Facility at 2460 Akron-Peninsula Rd (~62 MGD), which also serves Cuyahoga Falls, Springfield, Mogadore, Lakemore, Tallmadge, Fairlawn, Bath and Montrose. Akron's older core has combined sewers under a federal consent decree (entered 2011) requiring compliance by 2028.", "st": "Stow's own collection system uses separate storm sewers maintained by the city; no stormwater utility fee or major flooding issue was identified in the sources reviewed." }, "fun": [ "The Lake Rockwell plant that supplies Stow's water has been in service since 1915 - more than 110 years.", "Akron's 2022 CCR says treated water is pumped 11 miles to Akron through three force mains into equalizing reservoirs; 21% of the system sits high enough to need eight extra pumping districts.", "If Akron's supply is ever interrupted, partial backup connections exist to the water utilities of Kent, Hudson, Cleveland, Barberton and Cuyahoga Falls.", "Stow's 2024 service line inventory, done from historical records and visual inspections, found no lead, galvanized-needing-replacement, or unknown-material lines anywhere in the system." ] }, "zips_served": [ { "zip": "44224", "share": 0.8179, "dominant": true }, { "zip": "44236", "share": 0.0143, "dominant": false }, { "zip": "44221", "share": 0.001, "dominant": false } ], "photo": { "url": "/photos/OH7704503.jpg", "caption": "Street scene in Stow, Ohio", "credit": "Dougtone", "license": "CC BY-SA 2.0" }, "url": "https://crackedbuckeye.com/water/OH7704503/", "api": "https://crackedbuckeye.com/api/water/OH7704503.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), \"Stow Public Water System · OH7704503\", https://crackedbuckeye.com/water/OH7704503/, built 2026-09-16, accessed [date].", "schema": "https://crackedbuckeye.com/api/schema.json" }