Water system
Clermont Public Water System
EPA ID OH1302212 · Clermont County · 133,059 people served
Clermont Public Water System treats its own water from William H. Harsha Lake plus wells in the Little Miami River and Ohio River aquifers.
The system's record
- Aquifer
- Little Miami River Aquifer; Ohio River Valley Aquifer
- Water bodies
- William H. Harsha Lake (East Fork Lake), East Fork Little Miami River, Little Miami River, Ohio River
- Raw intakes
- Clermont Co Bmwt Fork Littl
- Active wells
- 24
- Serves
- 133,059 people · Clermont County
- EPA ID
- OH1302212
About this area's water
Did you know
- Harsha Lake is first a flood-control reservoir for the Ohio River and Cincinnati - the Corps credited it with preventing over $87 million in flood damage by 2010 - and a drinking water source second.
- Congress funded the East Fork dam in 1938 after the 1937 Ohio River flood, but construction did not begin until 1970 and the lake was not fully operational until 1978.
- One county system blends three unlike sources: a flood-control reservoir plus two separate sand-and-gravel aquifers, one under the Little Miami valley and one under the Ohio River valley.
- Clermont keeps seven emergency interconnections with neighbors - Greater Cincinnati Water Works, Tate Monroe Water Association and Western Water - and used none of them in 2024.
History5
- 1938After the 1937 Ohio River flood, a congressional flood control act funded projects including the East Fork dam; construction waited decades.
- 1955Clermont County began producing drinking water, the start of what is now a three-plant county system on one distribution network.
- 1978East Fork Lake, later William H. Harsha Lake, became fully operational after construction began in 1970.
- 2021Clermont County Public Health issued a July 9 water quality advisory at Harsha Lake after testing found high harmful-algal-bloom toxins.
- 2024On October 9, 2024 the Batavia Village public water system (PWS 1300011) was folded into the Clermont County Public Water System.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Three plants feed one common distribution system: MGS near Miamiville treats Little Miami River valley wells, PUB near New Palestine treats Ohio River valley wells, and the Bob McEwen plant in Batavia Township treats Harsha Lake surface water. Process steps are not published.
Water pressure
Not published.
What it costs
$4.90 per 1,000 gallons
Effective May 1, 2025: $4.90/1,000 gal; a 3/4-inch residential meter pays a $24.50 bi-monthly minimum covering 5,000 gal, then $5.39-$6.37 in higher tiers.
Water quality & impurities8
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| PFOS (finished water, MGS plant) Highest MGS result, Dec 3, 2025; May 28 sample was 9.22 ppt. Both above the 4 ppt federal MCL. | 10.9 ppt | 4 | 2025 |
| PFOA (finished water, PUB plant) May 28, 2025 sample, just over the 4 ppt MCL; MGS peaked at 3.69 ppt. | 4.13 ppt | 4 | 2025 |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) Running average under the limit, but one individual sample reached 113 ppb; range 11.6-113. | 73.32 ppb | 80 | 2025 |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct; range 2.8-40.8 ppb. | 27.76 ppb | 60 | 2025 |
| Nitrate Ohio EPA flags nitrate in the MGS aquifer as a sign of human influence; well under the limit. | 1.32 ppm | 10 | 2025 |
| Lead (90th percentile) 0 of 52 samples above the action level. Batavia Village measured 0.6 ppb separately. | 2.1 ppb | 15 | 2023 |
| Copper (90th percentile) 1 of 52 samples exceeded the action level at 1.51 ppm; no violation. | 0.595 ppm | 1.3 | 2023 |
| Turbidity Highest single 2025 reading; 100% of monthly samples still met the treatment technique. | 0.342 NTU | 0.3 in 95% of… | 2025 |
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 2.1 ppb in 2023 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA health-based violations since 2015:
- 2018Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) · above the legal limit on average · measured 0.081 MG/L (limit 0.08 MG/L) · returned to compliance
2 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 1 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 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 & plans10
Recent and current work
- Bob McEwen WTP clearwell drain piping · 2026 · planned
Listed for 2026 construction in the county's five-year water CIP approved May 8, 2026; cost is in a scanned summary. - PUB well field rehabilitation · 2026 · planned
2026 construction year in the five-year water CIP; rehabilitates the Ohio River valley aquifer wells. - Middle East Fork WWTP improvements · 2026 · planned
2026 construction year in the county's five-year wastewater CIP. - Arrowhead Wastewater Treatment Plant elimination · 2026 · planned
2026 wastewater CIP item consolidating flow away from a small package plant. - White Oak lift station relocation and upgrade · 2026 · planned
2026 wastewater CIP item, paired with a White Oak Road sewer replacement.
Planned or needed
- Bob McEwen WTP polymer system replacement · 2027 · planned
2027 construction year in the five-year water CIP; polymer feed serves coagulation at the Harsha Lake plant. - PUB well field tower replacement, wells 1-5 · 2027 · planned
2027 water CIP item replacing well towers at the Ohio River valley wellfield. - PUB WTP standby generators · 2027 · planned
2027 water CIP item adding backup power at the Pierce-Union-Batavia plant. - Lower East Fork WWTP improvements · 2027 · planned
2027 wastewater CIP item at one of the county's two East Fork treatment plants. - O'Bannon trunk sewer improvements, Phase I · 2027 · planned
2027 wastewater CIP item upgrading a major trunk sewer in the northwest county.
Supply stress
Summer harmful algal blooms on Harsha Lake force recreational advisories, one on July 9, 2021, and constant raw-water monitoring. PFOS at the MGS plant hit 10.9 ppt in December 2025, above the 4 ppt MCL, and Ohio EPA rates all three sources highly susceptible to contamination.
Sewers
Sanitary
Clermont County Water Resources runs the sanitary system and several plants, including the Middle East Fork and Lower East Fork WWTPs; the Arrowhead WWTP is slated for elimination in 2026. Sewer is billed on metered water at $5.07/1,000 gal with a $25.35 bi-monthly minimum.
Storm
No county stormwater utility or fee appears in Water Resources' navigation. The county does run a Foundation Drain Disconnect Program to keep stormwater out of sanitary sewers; rural ZIPs rely on septic.
Sourcesverified
Compiled from the utility's own reports and public records, then independently re-checked against primary sources.
Main supplier in 9 ZIP codes
Serves
Main water supplier in 9 ZIP codes
- 45147 · Miami Township and Miamiville100% of residents
- 45160 · Owensville100% of residents
- 45245 · Union Township and Cincinnati100% of residents
- 45103 · Union Township and Batavia94% of residents
- 45150 · Miami Township and Milford80% of residents
- 45102 · Batavia Township and Amelia71% of residents
- 45122 · Goshen Township and Goshen51% of residents
- 45140 · Miami Township and Loveland47% of residents
- 45158 · Wayne Township and Newtonsville40% of residents
Also present in 3 more ZIP codes
- 45244 · Anderson Township and Cincinnati46% of residents
- 45255 · Anderson Township and Cincinnati30% of residents
- 45157 · Monroe Township and New Richmond1% 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
Clermont Public Water System does not buy water from another system on record; it treats its own source water.
2 systems on record buy water from Clermont Public Water System: Robin Grays, Williamsburg Village.
What the records show about Clermont Public Water System
Who runs it
EPA's record says Clermont Public Water System has 44,322 service connections and serves 133,059 people.
EPA classes it as a community water system, one that serves the same residents all year.
EPA's record says it has substantially implemented source water protection under Ohio's program, dating the program from 2023. Its office telephone on EPA's record is 513-732-7945.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Clermont Public Water System: aeration, corrosion control, chlorine dioxide, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, iron and manganese removal, fluoridation, granular activated carbon, 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 counts 1 health-based violation for Clermont Public Water System since 2015. Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a required treatment step not carried out. It falls into 1 separate problem (one contaminant or rule in one year); the table lists it.
EPA logs 2 violations of any kind since 2020: 1 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 1 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
| Year | Contaminant or rule | Kind | Measured | Limit | Status in EPA's record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | above the legal limit on average | 0.081 mg/L | 0.08 mg/L | returned to compliance |
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 Clermont Public Water System was 2.1 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 Clermont Public Water System since 2016, the first ending in 2017; 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 Clermont Public Water System sent EPA, 45,080 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 0 |
| Not lead | 45,080 |
| All lines | 45,080 |
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 8 samples of the water entering the pipes of Clermont Public Water System in 2024 to 2025 and measured 29 PFAS.
The highest PFOA or PFOS result, 10.1 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 results were PFOS 10.1 ng/L, PFPeA 3.3 ng/L, and PFBS 3.1 ng/L.
The highest PFOA or PFOS result was measured at MGS Treatment Plant.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 3 plants of Clermont Public Water System (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 3 plants of Clermont Public Water System as sampled, most recently December 2025.
| Compound | Highest result | Federal limit |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA | not detected | 4 ng/L |
| PFOS | 10.1 ng/L | 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 Clermont Public Water System's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 46.2 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 58.7 µg/L and the highest single sample was 155 µg/L, from 257 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 21.9 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 30.7 µg/L and the highest single sample was 71.9 µg/L, from 256 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 46.2 µg/L (2019) | 58.7 µg/L | 155 µg/L | 257 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 21.9 µg/L | 30.7 µg/L | 71.9 µg/L | 256 |
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 173 samples was 4.35 mg/L (as nitrogen), in 2019, the last year sampled. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic: the highest of 24 samples was 3.6 µg/L (limit 10); detections averaged 3.6; none over the limit.
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 173 | 4.35 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 24 | 3.6 µg/L | 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.
EPA's file lumps the entry-point samples of all 3 plants of Clermont Public Water System together, so a result over a limit may come from a plant that serves a different part of town.
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 12 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 12 | 0 of 12 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 12 | 0 of 12 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 12 | 0 of 12 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 12 | 0 of 12 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 12 | 0 of 12 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 12 | 0 of 12 | 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: atrazine in 3 of 23 samples, highest 2.8 µg/L (limit 3); barium in 19 of 24 samples, highest 49.1 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: alachlor in 23 samples, chromium in 28 samples, cadmium in 28 samples, mercury in 24 samples, selenium in 24 samples, thallium in 24 samples.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 23 | 3 of 23 | 2.8 µg/L | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 23 | 0 of 23 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 28 | 0 of 28 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 28 | 0 of 28 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 24 | 19 of 24 | 49.1 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 24 | 0 of 24 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 24 | 0 of 24 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 24 | 0 of 24 | not detected | 0 |
Non-detects count as zero in the highest-result column.
EPA's file lumps the entry-point samples of all 3 plants of Clermont Public Water System together, so a result over a limit may come from a plant that serves a different part of town.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 3 of 9,852 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Clermont Public Water System tested positive (0.03%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 1,230 did. E. coli was never found in the 7 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 Clermont Public Water System adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Clermont Public Water System.
Measured fluoride: 1.02 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.84 to 1.19 mg/L across 24 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 8 UCMR 5 samples at Clermont Public Water System, 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.
Algal toxins
Ohio EPA tests for microcystin, a toxin that harmful algal blooms can release, in raw water at the intake and in treated water.
At the intake, microcystin was detected 30 times in 372 raw-water samples, across 5 bloom seasons (2017 to 2026); the highest raw-water result was 8.522 µg/L on July 20, 2021. The highest raw-water result since 2024 was 0.79 µg/L.
In treated water, microcystin was detected 1 time; the highest result was 0.28 µg/L (August 2026), below the 0.3 µg/L advisory level.
In all, 778 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 18, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 372 | 30 | 8.522 µg/L |
| Treated water | 406 | 1 | 0.28 µg/L |
The ten-day advisory levels for treated water are 0.3 µg/L for children under six and 1.6 µg/L for everyone else. Any detection at the intake triggers more frequent testing until two clean weeks.
Source: Ohio EPA public water system harmful algal bloom monitoring, 2016 to present (HAB data, fetched September 2026).
Water and sewer bills
Ohio EPA's 2023 rate survey puts the water bill at Clermont Public Water System for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $455 a year, about $38 a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $263 | not on file |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $455 | not on file |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $686 | not on file |
The survey lists it as “Clermont”. 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 Clermont Public Water System comes from the utility's own map.
Counting the people who live in the ZIP codes it overlaps, this atlas estimates 151,418 residents are inside the boundary, 114% of the 133,059 people Clermont Public Water System 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 — 12 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 OH1302212 (EPA ECHO).
Clermont Public Water System's own pages: wrd.clermontcountyohio.gov, wrd.clermontcountyohio.gov, wvxu.org
