Water system
Tate-monroe Water Association
EPA ID OH1301312 · Clermont County · 24,092 people served
Tate-monroe Water Association treats its own water from Ohio River valley aquifer (collector/vertical wells).
The system's record
- Aquifer
- Ohio River valley aquifer
- Water bodies
- Ohio River (aquifer recharge source)
- Active wells
- 12
- Serves
- 24,092 people · Clermont County
- EPA ID
- OH1301312
About this area's water
Did you know
- Built in 1969-1970 with 179 miles of pipe, Tate Monroe was then the largest private water system in Ohio; it has since grown to about 418 miles of main serving over 9,000 customers across eight townships.
- Its wells sit right beside the Ohio River at Clermontville and Moscow - eleven vertical wells plus one collector well - so the supply is effectively river water filtered through the riverbank aquifer.
- It is a member-owned nonprofit rather than a city utility: customers pay a $10 membership fee, the board meets the second Tuesday of every month, and any member can call and ask to be put on the agenda.
- Sixteen pressure-reducing stations and two booster stations are needed to manage the hills of southern Clermont County, backed by about 4.95 million gallons of storage.
- The association reports no lead, no galvanized-requiring-replacement and no unknown-material service lines anywhere in its distribution system - unusual for a system of this age.
History4
- 1969-1970Tate Monroe Water Assn., Inc. constructed with 179 miles of water main; at that time the largest private water system in Ohio.
- c. 2005Within thirty-five years the system had doubled to 358 miles of main across eight townships, serving over 8,500 customers.
- 2024Service line inventory completed: no lead, no galvanized-requiring-replacement and no unknown-material service lines anywhere in the distribution system, established from construction and plumbing…
- 2026New rate schedule effective July 1, 2026: $30.28 bi-monthly minimum on a 5/8" meter, water usage $7.57 per 1,000 gallons, and $7.21 per 1,000 gallons for usage over the minimum charge.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Groundwater from the Ohio River Valley aquifer: eleven vertical wells and one collector well sited along the Ohio River at Clermontville and near Moscow. Water is treated at two plants - Idlett Hill Treatment Plant (2120 Idlett Hill Road, New Richmond) and Freedom Crossing Treatment Plant (1865 US…
Source: tatemonroe.comtatemonroe.comtatemonroe.com
Water pressure
Not published - no psi figure appears on the association's site or in its water quality report. The system does report two booster pumping stations and sixteen pressure-reducing…
Source: tatemonroe.com
What it costs
$7.57 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $30 a month for water.
From the association's 'Water Rates & Service Charges' sheet, effective July 1, 2026. 5/8" meter: $30.28 bi-monthly minimum charge, water usage $7.57 per 1,000 gallons; all usage…
Source: tatemonroe.comtatemonroe.com
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fluoride (Idlett Hill plant) Range 0.84-1.12; added to promote strong teeth. | 1.08 ppm | 4.0 (MCL) | 2024 |
| Fluoride (Freedom Crossing plant) Range 0.80-1.08. | 1.04 ppm | 4.0 (MCL) | 2024 |
| Nitrate (Freedom Crossing plant) Fertilizer runoff, septic/sewage leaching, natural deposits. | 0.2 ppm | 10 (MCL) | 2024 |
| Barium (Idlett Hill / Freedom Crossing) Reported separately for the two plants. | 0.04 / 0.018 ppm | 2 (MCL) | 2023 |
| Gross alpha (Freedom Crossing plant) Erosion of natural deposits. | 3.5 pCi/L | 15 (MCL) | 2020 |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) Distribution average; range 4.9-40.4, the widest swing in the table. | 22.65 ppb | 80 (MCL) | 2024 |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Range nd-9.8. | 4.9 ppb | 60 (MCL) | 2024 |
| Total chlorine Range 1.02-1.15. | 1.10 ppm | 4.0 (MRDL) | 2024 |
| Lead (90th percentile) Compliance period 6/1/2023-9/30/2023; individual results nd-6.5; 0 of 30 samples above the action level. | 0 ppb | 15 (action… | 2023 |
| Copper (90th percentile) Range 0.010-0.670; 0 of 30 samples above the action level. | 0.24 ppm | 1.3 (action… | 2023 |
Source: tatemonroe.com
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2023 (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).
Supply stress
TMWA's own water quality report states that the aquifer supplying its wells 'has a high susceptibility to contamination, due to the nature of the aquifer in which the drinking water wells are located and the existing potential contaminant sources identified.' That is inherent to a shallow riverbank…
Source: tatemonroe.com
Sewers
Sanitary
None - Tate Monroe is a water-only member-owned association. Its published rate schedule and services cover water service only; sanitary sewer in southern Clermont County is provided by other entities (the Clermont County Water Resources Department serves parts of the county), not by TMWA.
Storm
Not applicable - the association operates no storm sewer utility and publishes no stormwater program.
Source: tatemonroe.comtatemonroe.com
Sourcesverified
Compiled from the utility's own reports and public records, then independently re-checked against primary sources.
Main supplier in 6 ZIP codes
Serves
Main water supplier in 6 ZIP codes
- 45112 · Chilo100% of residents
- 45153 · Washington Township and Moscow100% of residents
- 45156 · Neville100% of residents
- 45157 · Monroe Township and New Richmond72% of residents
- 45120 · Franklin Township and Felicity55% of residents
- 45106 · Tate Township and Bethel55% of residents
Also present in 5 more ZIP codes
- 45102 · Batavia Township and Amelia21% of residents
- 45130 · Clark Township and Hamersville18% of residents
- 45176 · Williamsburg8% of residents
- 45121 · Georgetown2% of residents
- 45103 · Union Township and Batavia1% 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
Tate-monroe Water Association does not buy water from another system on record; it treats its own source water.
1 system on record buys water from Tate-monroe Water Association: Bethel Village.
What the records show about Tate-monroe Water Association
Who runs it
EPA's record says Tate-monroe Water Association has 9,556 service connections and serves 24,092 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 513-734-2236.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Tate-monroe Water Association: aeration, corrosion control, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, fluoridation, ion-exchange softening, membrane filtration, ozone, 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 Tate-monroe Water Association 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 2023, the 90th-percentile lead result at Tate-monroe Water Association 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.
The highest result on file is 3.6 ppb, in the period ending December 2020.
EPA has 4 sampling periods on file for Tate-monroe Water Association 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 Tate-monroe Water Association sent EPA, 9,716 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 5,606 |
| Not lead | 4,110 |
| All lines | 9,716 |
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 4 samples of the water entering the pipes of Tate-monroe Water Association in 2025 and measured 29 PFAS.
The highest PFOA or PFOS result, 7.4 ng/L, is at or above the federal limit of 4 ng/L that EPA set in 2024. Systems have until 2029 to comply, and in May 2026 EPA proposed letting systems apply for two more years. One sample over the limit is not a violation: compliance is judged on a running annual average.
The highest PFAS result was PFOA 7.4 ng/L.
The highest PFOA or PFOS result was measured at Idlett Hill Treatment Plant STU 1.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 2 plants of Tate-monroe Water Association (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 2 plants of Tate-monroe Water Association as sampled, most recently May 2026.
| Compound | Highest result | Federal limit |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA | 7.4 ng/L | 4 ng/L |
| PFOS | not detected | 4 ng/L |
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 Tate-monroe Water Association's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 23.9 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 34.2 µg/L and the highest single sample was 60.4 µg/L, from 40 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 4.9 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 6.3 µg/L and the highest single sample was 12.6 µg/L, from 40 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 23.9 µg/L (2019) | 34.2 µg/L | 60.4 µg/L | 40 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 4.9 µg/L | 6.3 µg/L | 12.6 µg/L | 40 |
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 16 samples was 1.01 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2018; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 0.36 mg/L. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic was not detected in 4 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 16 | 1.01 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 4 | 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 16 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | 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 4 of 4 samples, highest 39 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine, alachlor, chromium, cadmium, mercury, selenium, and thallium, in 4 samples each.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 4 | 4 of 4 | 39 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | 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, 6 of 2,887 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Tate-monroe Water Association tested positive (0.21%); in 2019, the last year on file, 1 of 360 did. E. coli was never found in the 6 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 Tate-monroe Water Association adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Tate-monroe Water Association.
Measured fluoride: 0.95 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2017 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.87 to 1.05 mg/L across 4 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 4 UCMR 5 samples at Tate-monroe Water Association, 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 Tate-monroe Water Association comes from the utility's own map.
Counting the people who live in the ZIP codes it overlaps, this atlas estimates 24,317 residents are inside the boundary, 101% of the 24,092 people Tate-monroe Water Association 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 — 11 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 OH1301312 (EPA ECHO).
Tate-monroe Water Association's own pages: tatemonroe.com, tatemonroe.com
Notable facts: tatemonroe.com, tatemonroe.com, tatemonroe.com
History: tatemonroe.com, tatemonroe.com, tatemonroe.com
Water quality: tatemonroe.com
Water pressure: tatemonroe.com
Rates: tatemonroe.com, tatemonroe.com
Sewers: tatemonroe.com, tatemonroe.com
Treatment: tatemonroe.com, tatemonroe.com, tatemonroe.com, tatemonroe.com
Supply stress: tatemonroe.com