Water system
Athens
EPA ID OH0500212 · Athens County · 32,725 people served
Athens treats its own water from Hocking River Valley aquifer (wells).
The system's record
- Aquifer
- Hocking River Valley aquifer
- Water bodies
- Hocking River
- Active wells
- 16
- Serves
- 32,725 people · Athens County
- EPA ID
- OH0500212
About this area's water
Did you know
- Athens water had a hardness of 142 mg/L in 2025 — about 8.3 grains per gallon, softening slightly from 148 in 2019.
- The city has been on groundwater continuously since 1894; the first well sat about 4,400 feet west of the courthouse, near today's West State Street well field.
- A parts-per-billion measurement is described in the city's own report as equivalent to one second in 31.7 years.
- In 2025 Athens sealed two retired wells with an Ohio EPA grant and began drilling a new production well, number 24.
History5
- 1894Athens began relying on groundwater; the first well was about 4,400 ft west of the Court House and 2,000 ft north of the Hocking River, near today's West State St. well field.
- 1954The well system had expanded to supply about 1.3 million gallons per day.
- 2003Ohio EPA and the city's groundwater consultant studied sporadic volatile organic compound detections and rated the aquifer highly susceptible to contamination.
- 2017In June, Ohio EPA required Athens to obtain a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit, triggering a formal stormwater management program.
- 2019A large water treatment plant upgrade was completed and ODNR's contractor plugged an orphaned brine well in the Armitage well field.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Wells in the shallow sand-and-gravel Hocking River valley aquifer (West State St. well field) feed the plant, which chlorinates (1.03 ppm free chlorine average in 2025) and fluoridates, supplying about 2.5 MGD to Athens, The Plains and some rural customers.
Water pressure
Not published as a psi figure; the CCR cites Ohio EPA's rule that a boil advisory follows any drop below 20 psi, so normal pressure is kept above that.
Water quality & impurities8
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Disinfection byproduct; range 12.8-67.2 ppb, no violation | 36.2 ppb | 80 | 2024 |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct; range 6.0-13.5 ppb, no violation | 8.6 ppb | 60 | 2024 |
| Lead (90th percentile) 0 of 30 home samples exceeded the action level; range <2.0-2.8 ppb | <2.0 ppb | AL=15 | 2024 |
| Copper (90th percentile) 0 of 30 home samples exceeded the action level; range >0.01-0.45 ppm | 0.084 ppm | AL=1.3 | 2024 |
| Nitrate/Nitrate-N Well below the MCL | 0.33 ppm | 10 | 2024 |
| Fluoride Water additive plus erosion of natural deposits; range 0.99-1.05 ppm | 1.03 ppm | 4 | 2025 |
| PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) UCMR5; about 1.6 ppt, well under the 4 ppt federal MCL. Four other PFAS also detected in trace amounts | 0.0016 ppb | 0.004 | 2024 |
| Iron Approaching the non-enforceable secondary (aesthetic) standard; was <0.04 ppm in 2019 | 0.26 ppm | 0.3 | 2025 |
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2024 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
1 violation of any kind logged since 2020: 1 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
Projects & plans9
Recent and current work
- Abandonment and sealing of Wells 22 and 23 · 2025 · completed
Two retired production wells sealed under an Ohio EPA grant award - New production well 24 · 2025 · under construction
Project began in 2025; the city also installed three new valves associated with Well 9 - Water treatment plant window and door replacement · 2025 · completed
Energy efficiency upgrade; annual groundwater monitoring in 2025 included a baseline PFAS assay - Risk and Resiliency study · 2021 · completed
Emergency preparedness assessment completed and updated in 2021 - Water treatment plant upgrade · 2019 · completed
Described as a 'large' plant upgrade in the 2019 CCR; cost not published - Armitage well field raw water line isolation · 2019 · completed
The unused upper portion was excavated, cut and capped as a precaution against the Hocking River changing course - Orphaned brine well plugging, Armitage well field · 2019 · completed
ODNR hired a contractor to plug a historic orphaned brine well; confirmation samples collected in March - 16-inch valve installation, 3 Ring Street · 2019 · completed
Installed during a large system outage
Planned or needed
- Well 6 abandonment · planned
The city applied for and received a Well Abandonment grant from Ohio EPA to abandon Well 6
Supply stress
Athens draws from a shallow (under 20 ft), unconfined sand-and-gravel aquifer along the Hocking River with no protective clay cap; Ohio EPA rates it highly susceptible and VOCs have been detected sporadically. Five PFAS compounds were detected at trace levels in 2024, all far below federal limits.
Sewers
Sanitary
The city's MS4 program maps residences on private sewage systems inside the city limits, implying some homes are on septic even within Athens.
Storm
Separate MS4-permitted system under Ordinance 0-52-11 (Title 5.07). In 2025 the city reviewed 36 stormwater permit applications, ran a Hocking Riversweep that removed 1,230 lbs of trash, and closed an Ohio EPA chloride reduction grant.
Sourcesverified
Compiled from the utility's own reports and public records, then independently re-checked against primary sources.
Main supplier in 1 ZIP code
Serves
Main water supplier in 1 ZIP code
- 45701 · Athens60% of residents
Population-weighted resident shares; a ZIP code can have more than one system on record. Recomputed from each ZIP's own system list, not from the map's cached footprint.
Buys from · Sells to
Athens does not buy water from another system on record; it treats its own source water.
1 system on record buys water from Athens: Athens Co., the Plains S.d. 1.
What the records show about Athens
Who runs it
EPA's record says Athens has 5,379 service connections and serves 32,725 people.
EPA classes it as a community water system, one that serves the same residents all year.
Its office telephone on EPA's record is 740-592-3338.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Athens: aeration, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, fluoridation, ion-exchange softening, and sand or media filtration.
The list is what each system registered with EPA for treatment plants EPA still shows as active, and it can lag a plant upgrade.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) treatment table (EPA Envirofacts, pulled September 2026).
Violations
EPA's record shows no health-based violations for Athens since 2015.
EPA logs 1 violation of any kind since 2020: 1 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) violation records: health-based violations with compliance periods beginning in 2015 or later, all violations from 2020 or later (EPA Envirofacts, pulled September 2026).
Lead and copper at the tap
In the sampling period ending December 2024, the 90th-percentile lead result at Athens was 0 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027. A result of 0 means at least nine in ten of the homes sampled had no lead detected.
EPA has 3 sampling periods on file for Athens since 2016, the first ending in 2018; no period was above 10 ppb.
Every water system has to inventory its service lines, the pipes from the main to each building. In the inventory Athens sent EPA, 5,446 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 2 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 11 |
| Unknown material | 5,247 |
| Not lead | 186 |
| All lines | 5,446 |
Systems sample taps in the homes most likely to have lead pipes or solder. The 90th-percentile result is the level nine in ten of the sampled homes were at or below. Lead comes mostly from service lines and house plumbing, not the source water, so a low result for the system does not clear an old house.
EPA's dashboard status for this inventory: reported all required service line types.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) lead and copper 90th-percentile results (EPA Envirofacts), sampling periods ending 2016 or later; EPA's service line inventory dashboard, Ohio's 2026 Q2 submission.
PFAS
EPA's fifth national round of testing (UCMR 5) took 3 samples of the water entering the pipes of Athens in 2023 to 2024 and measured 29 PFAS. No PFAS was detected, PFOA and PFOS (federal limit 4 ng/L each) among them.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Athens (latest sample June 2020). Not one of the six PFAS tested (PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS) was detected.
Ohio EPA's current sampling status map lists 1 plant of Athens as sampled, most recently May 2026.
PFAS are the 'forever chemicals' from firefighting foam, plating shops and non-stick coatings. Results are for water leaving the plant, not your tap.
Source: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data (final release, August 2026); Ohio EPA statewide PFAS sampling, 2019 to 2021, and its sampling status map.
Disinfection byproducts
Chlorine that disinfects water also reacts with organic matter to form byproducts. Two groups have federal limits: total trihalomethanes (TTHM, 80 µg/L) and five haloacetic acids (HAA5, 60 µg/L), judged on running yearly averages at each sampling site.
For TTHM, the average of Athens's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 41.1 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 44.3 µg/L and the highest single sample was 85.3 µg/L, from 113 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 8.8 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 10.1 µg/L and the highest single sample was 16 µg/L, from 113 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 41.1 µg/L (2019) | 44.3 µg/L | 85.3 µg/L | 113 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 8.8 µg/L | 10.1 µg/L | 16 µg/L | 113 |
A yearly average of 0 means nothing was detected in that year's samples. EPA's file stops at 2019; Ohio EPA's Drinking Water Watch has newer results.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, distribution-system samples (non-detects counted as zero).
Nitrate, arsenic and radioactivity
Nitrate: the highest of 8 samples was 0.5 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2016; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 0.37 mg/L. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic was not detected in 2 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 8 | 0.5 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 2 | not detected | 10 µg/L | 0 |
Measured in finished water: at the plant's entry points and in the distribution system; raw well and intake samples are left out. Non-detects count as zero.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water.
Solvents and fuels
EPA's file holds results for all six solvent and fuel compounds it checked. Benzene, carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, and vinyl chloride were not detected in 2 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
"Not detected" means the lab's result was below what its method can measure, not that the compound is absent. Non-detects count as zero in the highest-result column.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water.
Farm chemicals and metals
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: barium in 2 of 2 samples, highest 28.8 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine, alachlor, chromium, cadmium, mercury, selenium, and thallium, in 2 samples each.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 2 | 2 of 2 | 28.8 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
Non-detects count as zero in the highest-result column.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 2,547 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Athens tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 361 did.
A positive coliform test is a warning sign, not a violation by itself. E. coli is a sign that human or animal waste may have reached the water. Coliform counts are routine samples only; E. coli counts include repeat samples.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, distribution-system presence/absence tests for total coliform and E. coli.
Fluoride
The Ohio Department of Health's report to the CDC (My Water's Fluoride) says Athens adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Athens.
Measured fluoride: 1.06 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2017 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 1.06 to 1.08 mg/L across 2 samples in 2012 to 2019.
The recommended level for preventing tooth decay is 0.7 mg/L; the federal limit is 4 mg/L. The treatment list is what each system registered with EPA and can lag a plant upgrade.
Source: CDC My Water's Fluoride (fluoridation status as reported by the Ohio Department of Health, fetched September 2026); EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) treatment table; EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, entry-point fluoride samples.
Lithium
Lithium was found in 1 of 2 UCMR 5 samples at Athens, highest 11.9 µg/L, last sampled in 2024.
Lithium is not regulated. EPA's draft health reference level is 10 µg/L, and it occurs naturally in deep groundwater, so well systems in the northwest run highest.
Source: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data (final release, August 2026), samples from 2023 to 2025.
Water and sewer bills
Ohio EPA's 2023 rate survey puts the water bill at Athens for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $827 a year, about $69 a month.
The sewer bill in the same survey is $458 a year at 5,000 gallons a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $432 | $242 |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $827 | $458 |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $1,302 | $716 |
The survey lists it as “Athens Co.”. These are inside-city rates and annual bills at the use shown.
Source: Ohio EPA 2023 Sewer and Water Rate Survey (Ohio State University, May 2025).
How well the service area is mapped
The service area drawn on the map for Athens comes from the utility's own map.
Counting the people who live in the ZIP codes it overlaps, this atlas estimates 20,384 residents are inside the boundary, 62% of the 32,725 people Athens reports serving.
The resident count is an estimate from 2020 Census ZIP-code populations, not a count of customers.
Source: EPA Service Area Boundaries; resident estimate by this atlas from ZIP-code overlap.
Photograph
On the map
Show this system's territory on the map — 1 ZIP code in all.
Sources
U.S. EPA SDWIS and Community Water System Service Area Boundaries (v3, 2026), Ohio EPA primacy data, 2020 census blocks: the system serving most residents, traced through purchases to the treating utility; Ohio EPA 2023 Sewer and Water Rate Survey (Ohio State, May 2025) for household bills; Ohio EPA DEFA loan awards since 2016 for the loans paragraph · EPA SDWIS · EPA service area boundaries · Ohio EPA drinking water · Ohio EPA rate survey
EPA's own record for this system: Enforcement and Compliance History report for OH0500212 (EPA ECHO).
Athens's own pages: ci.athens.oh.us, athensmessenger.com
