Water system
Sardinia Village
EPA ID OH0801511 · Brown County · 952 people served · owned by a local government
Sardinia Village buys its water from Brown County Rural Water.
The system's record
- Aquifer
- Ohio River Aquifer (sand-and-gravel river-valley aquifer)
- Active wells
- 13
- Serves
- 32,090 people · Brown County
- EPA ID
- OH0802012
About this area's water
Did you know
- Despite drawing no water of its own today, the village runs its own sewer plant and used to run its own water plant too — EPA records show Sardinia's original surface-water intake (on its own reservoir and White Oak…
Source: data.epa.gov
History5
- 1830Location established as a post village of Brown County in Washington Township.
- 1833Village of Sardinia laid out on the East Fork White Oak Creek in Washington Township, Brown County.
- 1860Village recorded about 200 residents, with roughly 1,300 in surrounding Washington Township.
- 2000-2013Sardinia's own surface-water system — an intake on Sardinia Village Reservoir and White Oak Creek, plus its treatment/storage assets — was deactivated in stages, after which the village became a…
- presentSardinia now buys finished, treated groundwater wholesale from Brown County Rural Water (two active purchase connections in SDWIS) rather than treating its own; no treatment processes are registered…
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Sardinia does not treat its own water. It purchases already-treated finished water from Brown County Rural Water (PWSID OH0802012, sourced from groundwater) via two active interconnections, and distributes it through village mains. Its own former surface-water intake and treatment plant were…
Source: data.epa.gov
Water pressure
Not published — no pressure figure found in available EPA SDWIS records or on the village website; village office can be reached at 937-446-3807 for details.
What it costs
$18.06 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $136 a month for water.
Per the village's own utilities page (rates as of 2/1/2026): water base rate $34.00/month covers up to 2,000 gal, then $18.06 per 1,000 gal for 2,001-10,000 gal and $16.07 per…
Source: villageofsardinia.com
Water quality & impurities1
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead (90th percentile, Lead and Copper… Well below the EPA action level across all three most recent 3-year monitoring cycles (2016-18, 2019-21, 2022-24). | 0.0013 mg/L | 0.015 | 2022-202… |
Source: data.epa.gov
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 1.3 ppb in 2024 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
3 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 1 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 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 · Brown County Rural Water (treats the water)
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0.7 ppb in 2023 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
Supply stress
No health-based drinking water violations on record. SDWIS shows three violations (missed coliform testing in Dec. 2023, an inadequate yearly water quality report in Dec. 2023, and a July 2025 lead service line notice violation), all paperwork or missed testing rather than contamination events. As a wholesale customer of Brown County Rural Water, Sardinia's supply reliability depends on that regional system.
Source: data.epa.gov
Sewers
Sanitary
The Village of Sardinia operates its own sewer/wastewater treatment plant, per the village's own website, separate from its purchased-water arrangement for drinking water.
Source: villageofsardinia.com
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
- 45155 · Mowrystown100% of residents
Also present in 1 more ZIP code
- 45171 · Sardinia18% 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
Sardinia Village buys its water from Brown County Rural Water.
No other system is on record buying water from Sardinia Village.
What the records show about Sardinia Village
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Sardinia Village as owned by a local government. It has 504 service connections and serves 952 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 937-446-3807.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
Sardinia Village buys water that Brown County Rural Water treats first, so the steps that count are the seller's. EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Brown County Rural Water: aeration, chlorine disinfection, fluoridation, lime 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 Sardinia Village since 2015.
EPA logs 3 violations of any kind since 2020: 1 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 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 September 2026).
Lead and copper at the tap
In the sampling period ending December 2024, the 90th-percentile lead result at Sardinia Village was 1.3 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
EPA has 3 sampling periods on file for Sardinia Village 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 Sardinia Village sent EPA, 510 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 510 |
| Not lead | 0 |
| All lines | 510 |
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
The water Sardinia Village buys is treated by Brown County Rural Water, so the results below are Brown County Rural Water's.
EPA's fifth national round of testing (UCMR 5) took 2 samples of the water entering the pipes of Brown County Rural Water in 2023 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 Brown County Rural Water (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 Brown County Rural Water as sampled, most recently August 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 Sardinia Village's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 35.8 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 50.9 µg/L and the highest single sample was 54.2 µg/L, from 14 samples taken from 2013 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 3.5 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 6.6 µg/L and the highest single sample was 6.9 µg/L, from 14 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 35.8 µg/L (2019) | 50.9 µg/L | 54.2 µg/L | 14 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 3.5 µg/L | 6.6 µg/L | 6.9 µg/L | 14 |
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 Sardinia Village buys is treated by Brown County Rural Water, so the results below are Brown County Rural Water's.
Nitrate: the highest of 8 samples was 2.5 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2013; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 1.78 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 | 2.5 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 of Brown County Rural Water.
Solvents and fuels
The water Sardinia Village buys is treated by Brown County Rural Water, so the results below are Brown County Rural Water'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 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 of Brown County Rural Water.
Farm chemicals and metals
The water Sardinia Village buys is treated by Brown County Rural Water, so the results below are Brown County Rural Water's.
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Not detected: atrazine, alachlor, chromium, cadmium, barium, 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 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 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 of Brown County Rural Water.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 1 of 102 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Sardinia Village tested positive (0.98%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 12 did. E. coli was never found in the 3 samples tested for it.
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 Sardinia Village buys its water from Brown County Rural Water, 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 Brown County Rural Water, which treats the water Sardinia Village buys.
Measured fluoride: 0.8 mg/L on average leaving the plants of Brown County Rural Water, which supplies Sardinia Village, in 2017 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.8 to 0.89 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 not detected in 2 UCMR 5 samples at Brown County Rural Water, which supplies Sardinia Village, last sampled in 2023 (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
EPA estimated the service area of Sardinia Village with a computer model rather than drawing it from the utility's map, so its edges are approximate.
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 — 2 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 OH0801511 (EPA ECHO).
Notable facts: data.epa.gov
History: villageofsardinia.com, data.epa.gov
Water quality: data.epa.gov
Rates: villageofsardinia.com
Sewers: villageofsardinia.com
Treatment: data.epa.gov
Supply stress: data.epa.gov
