Water system
Sunday Creek Valley Water
EPA ID OH0501503 · Athens County · 5,451 people served
Sunday Creek Valley Water buys its water from Burr Oak Regional Water District.
The system's record
- Aquifer
- Hocking River buried valley aquifer (sand and gravel)
- Active wells
- 6
- Seller serves
- 1,994 people · Athens County
- Seller's EPA ID
- OH0501311
About this area's water Burr Oak Regional Water District
The history, photo, rates, sewer details and water quality notes below are for Burr Oak Regional Water District, which supplies the water Sunday Creek Valley Water buys. They are not Sunday Creek Valley Water's own figures.
Did you know
- The district has grown from its 1959 founding into a network of 6 wells, a 4-MGD plant, 4 booster stations, and 8 storage tanks, supplying (directly and wholesale) over 38,000 people across Athens, Hocking, Morgan, and Perry counties.
- The district draws from the Hocking River buried-valley aquifer, a sand-and-gravel formation adjacent to the river rather than the river itself.
- Its current capital program pairs a GAC treatment upgrade for disinfection byproducts with a roughly 120,000-foot rural waterline expansion into Morgan County, funded partly by Ohio BUILDS (HB 168) and Appalachian Regional Commission grants.
Source: burroakwater.orgburroakwater.org
History4
- 1959Burr Oak Regional Water District founded; now supplies water (directly and via 17 wholesale satellite systems - 8 villages, 7 rural systems, and Burr Oak State Park) across Athens, Hocking, Morgan, and Perry counties, a combined service area the district's own site describes as 'over 38,000' residents.
- 2020EPA SDWIS records a violation for an inadequate yearly water quality report (the Consumer Confidence Report), not health-based, with compliance period opening 1/10/2020.
- 2024District began planning/design in October for a Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) treatment addition, engineered by Verdantas LLC with Kirk Brothers Co., Inc. as contractor, aimed at reducing disinfection byproducts (TTHM/HAA5) to meet Ohio EPA standards.
- 2025District held an unconditioned Ohio EPA license to operate, per its CCR page.
Source: burroakwater.orgburroakwater.org
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Water is drawn from 6 wells tapping the Hocking River buried-valley sand-and-gravel aquifer and treated at a roughly 4-million-gallon-per-day plant; distribution runs through 4 booster pump stations, 8 elevated storage tanks, and 6"-18" mains. A GAC (granular activated carbon) stage is being added, with design/planning starting October 2024, specifically to cut disinfection byproducts.
Source: burroakwater.orgburroakwater.org
What it costs at Burr Oak Regional Water District
$11.10 per 1,000 gallons
Burr Oak system: $28.60 minimum monthly charge (covers first 2,000 gal), then $11.10 per 1,000 gallons above that; Satellite/large-volume rate is $5.70 per 1,000 gallons.
Source: burroakwater.org
Water quality & impurities1
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly water quality report (inadequate) Non-health-based violation, compliance period opened 1/10/2020, still open per EPA federal SDWIS/ECHO record; no specific contaminant level is associated since this is a paperwork/monitoring-category violation, not a measured exceedance. | N/A violation | N/A | 2020 |
EPA compliance record · Sunday Creek Valley Water
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 1.7 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
2 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 2 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
EPA compliance record · Burr Oak Regional Water District (treats the water)
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 1.7 ppb in 2025 (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 & plans2
Recent and current work
- Morgan County Waterline Expansion Project · 2024-2025 · under construction
Approximately 120,000 feet of new 2"-8" waterline with hydrants, valves, and services along SR-78, Drake Rd, Nichols Rd, Buck Run Rd, Finley Rd and others. Engineered by Verdantas LLC; general contractor Larry Lang Excavating.
Source: burroakwater.org
Planned or needed
- Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) treatment addition · 2024- · planned
Adds a GAC stage to reduce disinfection byproducts and meet Ohio EPA TTHM/HAA5 standards. Engineered by Verdantas LLC; contractor Kirk Brothers Co., Inc. Intended start date October 2024 per district's projects page.
Source: burroakwater.org
Supply stress
The buried-valley aquifer supply (about 4 MGD plant capacity) is not described anywhere as capacity-constrained for this population; the district's active capital spending is instead aimed at water-quality risk from disinfection byproducts, prompting the GAC addition, rather than raw-water scarcity.
Source: burroakwater.orgburroakwater.org
Sewers at Burr Oak Regional Water District
Sanitary
Burr Oak Regional Water District is a water-only district. No sewer service is described anywhere on its website.
Storm
District's public materials cover only water distribution.
Source: burroakwater.org
Serves
Sunday Creek Valley Water is not the main water supplier in any ZIP code; the ZIP codes it reaches are listed below.
Present in 4 ZIP codes
- 45732 · Glouster6% of residents
- 45761 · Dover Township and Millfield6% of residents
- 45711 · Bern Township and Amesville1% of residents
- 45701 · Athens1% 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
Sunday Creek Valley Water buys its water from Burr Oak Regional Water District.
No other system is on record buying water from Sunday Creek Valley Water.
What the records show about Sunday Creek Valley Water
Who runs it
EPA's record says Sunday Creek Valley Water has 1,883 service connections and serves 5,451 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 740-797-2566.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
Sunday Creek Valley Water buys water that Burr Oak Regional Water District treats first, so the steps that count are the seller's. EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Burr Oak Regional Water District: aeration, corrosion control, chlorine disinfection, iron and manganese removal, fluoridation, ion-exchange softening, and sand or media filtration.
Sunday Creek Valley Water adds nothing of its own on that table.
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 Sunday Creek Valley Water since 2015.
EPA logs 2 violations of any kind since 2020: 2 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 November 2026).
Lead and copper at the tap
In the sampling period ending December 2025, the 90th-percentile lead result at Sunday Creek Valley Water was 1.7 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
The highest result on file is 4.1 ppb, in the period ending December 2022.
EPA has 4 sampling periods on file for Sunday Creek Valley Water since 2016, the first ending in 2016; 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 Sunday Creek Valley Water sent EPA, 1,769 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 0 |
| Not lead | 1,769 |
| All lines | 1,769 |
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 2 samples of the water entering the pipes of Sunday Creek Valley Water in 2025 and measured 29 PFAS. EPA's UCMR 5 file shows no PFAS detected, PFOA and PFOS (federal limit 4 ng/L each) among them.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Burr Oak Regional Water District (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 Burr Oak Regional Water District as sampled, most recently June 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 Sunday Creek Valley Water's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 49.7 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 70.2 µg/L and the highest single sample was 79 µg/L, from 18 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 14.7 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 15.4 µg/L and the highest single sample was 16.8 µg/L, from 18 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 49.7 µg/L (2019) | 70.2 µg/L | 79 µg/L | 18 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 14.7 µg/L | 15.4 µg/L | 16.8 µg/L | 18 |
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
The water Sunday Creek Valley Water buys is treated by Burr Oak Regional Water District, so the results below are Burr Oak Regional Water District's.
Nitrate: the highest of 10 samples was 0.48 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2013; in 2019, the last year sampled, nitrate was not detected. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic was not detected in 3 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 10 | 0.48 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 3 | 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 of Burr Oak Regional Water District.
Solvents and fuels
The water Sunday Creek Valley Water buys is treated by Burr Oak Regional Water District, so the results below are Burr Oak Regional Water District's.
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 9 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | 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 of Burr Oak Regional Water District.
Farm chemicals and metals
The water Sunday Creek Valley Water buys is treated by Burr Oak Regional Water District, so the results below are Burr Oak Regional Water District's.
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: barium in 3 of 3 samples, highest 53.8 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine in 2 samples, alachlor in 2 samples, chromium in 3 samples, cadmium in 3 samples, mercury in 3 samples, selenium in 3 samples, thallium in 3 samples.
| 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 | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 3 | 3 of 3 | 53.8 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | 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 of Burr Oak Regional Water District.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 576 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Sunday Creek Valley Water tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 72 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 Sunday Creek Valley Water buys its water from Burr Oak Regional Water District, a system that adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Burr Oak Regional Water District, which treats the water Sunday Creek Valley Water buys.
Measured fluoride: 1 mg/L on average leaving the plants of Burr Oak Regional Water District, which supplies Sunday Creek Valley Water, in 2017 (above the 0.7 mg/L level now recommended and well under the 4 mg/L limit); samples ran from 0.92 to 1.04 mg/L across 3 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 not detected in 2 UCMR 5 samples at Sunday Creek Valley Water, last sampled in 2025 (the method reports from 9 µg/L).
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.
How well the service area is mapped
The service area drawn on the map for Sunday Creek Valley Water comes from the utility's own map.
Source: EPA Service Area Boundaries; resident estimate by this atlas from ZIP-code overlap.
On the map
Show this system's territory on the map — 4 ZIP codes 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 OH0501503 (EPA ECHO).