Water system
Trenton City
EPA ID OH0903012 · Butler County · 13,012 people served · owned by a local government
Trenton City treats its own water from Great Miami River Buried Valley Aquifer (wells).
The system's record
- Aquifer
- Great Miami River Buried Valley Aquifer / Trenton Buried Valley Aquifer
- Active wells
- 4
- Serves
- 13,012 people · Butler County
- EPA ID
- OH0903012
Trenton uses two well fields overlying the Great Miami River Alluvial/Buried Valley Aquifer and the local Trenton Buried Valley Aquifer; only fluoride and chlorine are added, later supplemented by ion-exchange softening.
About this area's water
Did you know
- Trenton pumped almost 470 million gallons of groundwater in 2025 — but City Council's top priority is that around 40% of the water entering the system never reaches a billed customer.
- The city sits on three separate aquifers named by Ohio EPA: the Great Miami River Alluvial Aquifer, the Great Miami River Buried Valley Aquifer, and the Trenton Buried Valley Aquifer.
- Before 2006, Trenton's well water went from the wells straight into the distribution system with no softening at all — only chlorine and fluoride were added, because the raw groundwater quality was already so high.
- Trenton doesn't fully soften its water: only part of the flow passes through the four ion exchangers, and the softened water is deliberately blended back with raw water before reaching the clearwell.
- The city's sewage travels under the bed of the Great Miami River in a force main to reach Butler County's LeSourdsville plant on the far bank.
History4
- 2006Trenton built its Ion Exchange Water Treatment Plant to cut the hardness of its groundwater significantly. Before that the city pumped water directly from the wells into the distribution system…
- 2025Routine lead and copper sampling at 121 sites found one site (Site 1) at 29.6 ppb, above the 15 ppb action level, though the 90th percentile was 0.88 ppb and no action level exceedance or violation…
- 2026Construction of a new water tower reached the foundation footing stage, reported in the City Manager's weekly council report for the week of 3-2-2026.
- 2026Reducing water loss became City Council's number one priority area, with the stated goal of bringing the figure down from 40%. Staff are verifying and replacing large meters and running leak…
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Groundwater only. Raw water is drawn by vertical turbine well pumps from four supply wells across two separate well fields inside the corporate limits, tapping three aquifers identified by Ohio EPA: the Great Miami River Alluvial Aquifer, the Great Miami River Buried Valley Aquifer, and the Trenton…
Source: trentonoh.govtrentonoh.gov
Water pressure
No pressure figure is published, but the system's structure is documented: Trenton operates a single pressure system — one pressure zone served by four supply wells, one treatment…
What it costs
$6.32 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $35 a month for water.
From the city's published Residential Utility Charges table, 2026 column. Water: $21.95 monthly flat rate including the first 2,000 gallons, then tiered consumption charges of…
Source: trentonoh.govtrentonoh.gov
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead (90th percentile) Range ND-29.6 ppb. 1 of 121 sites exceeded the action level — Site 1 at 29.6 ppb, nearly double the AL. The 90th… | 0.88 ppb | 15 (action… | 2025 |
| Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Range 484-556 ppm. EXCEEDS the 500 ppm secondary maximum contaminant level. Secondary standards are aesthetic — taste… | 520 ppm | 500 (secondary) | 2024 |
| Nitrate Range 3.36-4.81 ppm — about 41% of the MCL, and the CCR states plainly that nitrates 'have been detected at elevated… | 4.06 ppm | 10 | 2025 |
| Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) Reported in the CCR as 0.00315 ppb, range 0.0030-0.0033 ppb. At about 79% of the federal MCL adopted in 2024, this is… | 3.15 ppt | 4.0 | 2024 |
| Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) Reported as 0.00195 ppb, range 0.0019-0.0020 ppb. About half the federal MCL. UCMR 5 sampling. | 1.95 ppt | 4.0 | 2024 |
| Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) Reported as 0.0030 ppb, range 0.0028-0.0032 ppb. Regulated through EPA's mixture Hazard Index rather than an individual… | 3.0 ppt | 10 (hazard… | 2024 |
| Chloride Range 72.2-90.5 ppm. Under the aesthetic limit but high for a groundwater system, and a contributor to the elevated TDS. | 81.35 ppm | 250 (secondary) | 2024 |
| Copper (90th percentile) Range 0.00018-0.687 ppm; 0 of 121 sites over the action level. Supersedes the 2022 figure of 0.127 ppm. | 0.217 ppm | 1.3 (action… | 2025 |
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Range 6.8-12.8 ppb — about 13% of the MCL, as expected for a groundwater source with little organic precursor material.… | 10.6 ppb | 80 | 2025 |
| Fluoride Range 0.4-1.05 ppm. Naturally occurring plus sodium fluoride added for dental health; close to the 0.7 ppm optimum.… | 0.833 ppm | 4 | 2025 |
Source: trentonoh.gov
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 2.3 ppb in 2026 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
1 violation of any kind logged since 2020, 1 of them paperwork (monitoring, reporting, public notice or consumer report).
Projects & plans5
Recent and current work
- New water tower · 2026 · under construction
Reported by the Service Director as being in the foundation footing stage in the City Manager's weekly council report for the week of 3-2-2026. No contract… - Water main extensions, Trenton Square development · 2026 · under construction
City staff are filling water main extensions and nearing utility testing for the Trenton Square residential development, per the 3-2-2026 weekly council… - Water loss reduction program · 2026 · under construction
City Council priority area #1. Staff are studying the system city-wide, verifying all large meters and replacing several that were masking loss, installing…
Source: trentonoh.gov
Planned or needed
- Wellhead / source water protection plan · planned
The 2025 CCR states the city 'has placed a priority on protecting its groundwater through the development of a wellhead/source water protection plan,' given… - Water Engineering and Standard Operating Procedure services · 2026 · proposed
Staff completed the water RFQ evaluation and sent an RFP to qualified firms, with internal discussions to go to Council soon, per the 3-2-2026 weekly council…
Source: trentonoh.govtrentonoh.gov
Supply stress
Ohio EPA classifies Trenton's sand-and-gravel aquifer as having HIGH susceptibility to contamination. The city has identified 18 potential contaminant sources within the wellhead protection area, including septic systems, stormwater wells, agricultural activities, gravel pits, underground storage tanks, and some commercial sources. The…
Source: trentonoh.govtrentonoh.gov
Sewers
Sanitary
Split responsibility. The City of Trenton's Sewer Division owns and maintains over 55 miles of sanitary sewer, about a half-mile of sanitary force main, and one lift station, and inspects, cleans and cameras roughly 4.5 miles of sewer main a year, repairing or replacing defects. Sewage flows by gravity to the lift station on the south…
Storm
The city bills a flat residential stormwater charge of $3.65 per month in 2026, up from $3.50 in 2024-2025 and $3.30 in 2020-2021 — a distinct line item on every residential utility bill alongside water, sewer, streetlight and refuse. City crews maintain…
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
- 45067 · Trenton87% 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
Trenton City does not buy water from another system on record; it treats its own source water.
No other system is on record buying water from Trenton City.
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
Trenton City's own pages: trentonoh.gov, trentonoh.gov
Notable facts: trentonoh.gov, trentonoh.gov, trentonoh.gov, trentonoh.gov
History: trentonoh.gov, trentonoh.gov, trentonoh.gov
Water quality: trentonoh.gov
Planned work: trentonoh.gov, trentonoh.gov
Water pressure: trentonoh.gov, trentonoh.gov, trentonoh.gov
Capital projects: trentonoh.gov
Rates: trentonoh.gov, trentonoh.gov
Sewers: trentonoh.gov, trentonoh.gov, trentonoh.gov, bcohio.gov
Treatment: trentonoh.gov, trentonoh.gov
Supply stress: trentonoh.gov, trentonoh.gov