Water system
East Palestine Village
EPA ID OH1500912 · Columbiana County · 4,761 people served · owned by a local government
East Palestine Village treats its own water from Groundwater wells (5 wells).
The system's record
- Active wells
- 5
- Serves
- 4,761 people · Columbiana County
- EPA ID
- OH1500912
About this area's water
Did you know
- The five village wells are only 50 to 100 feet deep and tap an alluvial sand-and-gravel aquifer flowing in from the northwest; they pumped 118.1 million gallons in 2025.
- The granular activated carbon filters that now polish the town's drinking water were bought by Norfolk Southern after the 2023 derailment and sit in a purpose-built 101-by-42-foot building; they went into service on…
- East Palestine's trihalomethane level, 4.57 ppb against an 80 ppb limit, is unusually low for a chlorinated system, a side effect of drawing clean groundwater and polishing it through carbon.
- The village was a city from 1920 until 2011, when the 2010 census put it below 5,000 people and it reverted to village status.
- Ohio EPA's 2019 source water assessment flagged the wellfield as highly susceptible to contamination for lack of a clay cap, four years before the derailment gave that finding a much larger audience.
Source: eastpalestine-oh.govreviewonline.comen.wikipedia.org
History6
- 1828Platted by Thomas McCalla and William Grate as Mechanicsburg.
- 1833Renamed East Palestine, after the region of Palestine.
- 1875Incorporated as East Palestine.
- 1880-1980sA pottery started in 1880 became the W.S. George Pottery Company in 1904; the plant operated into the 1980s.
- 1920Reclassified from village to city.
- 2011Reclassified back to a village after population fell below 5,000 (2010 census: 4,721).
Source: en.wikipedia.orgeastpalestine-oh.govnorfolksouthern.com
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Village-owned groundwater plant on five wells, 50 to 100 feet deep, drawing from an alluvial sand-and-gravel aquifer that flows in from the northwest. Raw water passes through four pressure filters (SDWIS records them as greensand, with permanganate feed) to remove iron and manganese, then through…
Source: eastpalestine-oh.govdata.epa.govdata.epa.gov
Water pressure
Not published. No distribution pressure figure or pressure-zone map appears in the CCR, the village utilities page, or any Ohio EPA document located.
What it costs
$4.35 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $44 a month for water.
Ordinance 7-2026, adopted April 13, 2026, effective June 1, 2026: water minimum charge $31.09 covering the first 1,000 gallons, then $4.35 per additional 1,000 gallons. Customers…
Water quality & impurities7
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorine Range 1.05-1.39; disinfectant residual, no violation. | 1.2 ppm | 4 (MRDL) | 2025 |
| Fluoride Range 0.80-1.29; fluoride is deliberately added. | 1.04 ppm | 4 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Range ND-14.5; disinfection by-product. | 14.5 ppb | 60 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) Range 2.20-4.57; disinfection by-product, very low. | 4.57 ppb | 80 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Lead (90th percentile) 0 of 20 sample sites above the action level. | 2.9 ppb | 15 (action… | 2023 |
| Copper (90th percentile) 0 of 20 sample sites above the action level. | 0.151 ppm | 1.3 (action… | 2023 |
| UCMR5 analytes (including PFAS) All fifth-round unregulated contaminant analytes were below the detection limit. | ND n/a | unregulated | 2025 |
Source: eastpalestine-oh.gov
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 2.9 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).
Projects & plans5
Recent and current work
- Granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration system and housing building · $661,481 · 2024 · completed
Calgon GAC units in a 101 ft by 42 ft structure, placed into service June 20, 2024; paid for by Norfolk Southern as part of its post-derailment grant. Added as… - Norfolk Southern drinking-water system grant · $4.3 million · 2023 · completed
Announced September 14, 2023: $661,481 already reimbursed for carbon filters and initial engineering, plus $3.638 million for further engineering, filtration… - System-wide leak detection survey · 2026 · completed
Completed ahead of the 2026 rate ordinance; cited by the village as part of the case for the increase. No cost published. - Sentinel monitoring well network · 2023 · completed
More than 20 monitoring wells placed between the derailment site and the wellfield, sampled to screen for derailment-related chemicals. No derailment-related…
Source: norfolksouthern.comreviewonline.comeastpalestine-oh.gov
Planned or needed
- Remaining Norfolk Southern grant work (engineering, filtration technology, infrastructure) · $3.6 million · 2023 · planned
Balance of the $4.299 million grant beyond the completed GAC filters; Norfolk Southern said it would keep discussing with the village whether further work is…
Source: norfolksouthern.com
Supply stress
The 2019 source water assessment rates the wellfield highly susceptible to contamination because there is no protective clay layer over the shallow alluvial aquifer; named potential sources are cropland and pasture (nutrients, ammonia, pesticides), poorly maintained septic systems, fertilizers, herbicides and underground storage tanks.…
Sewers
Sanitary
The village runs its own wastewater treatment plant (East Palestine WWTP, Ohio NPDES permit 3PD00042*ND) alongside the water plant; the Water/Sewer Department maintains roughly 26-28 miles each of water and sewer main and employs eight people, with Scott Wolfe as superintendent and operator in charge. Sewer is billed separately from…
Source: eastpalestine-oh.goveastpalestine-oh.govmorningjournalnews.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
- 44413 · East Palestine64% 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
East Palestine Village does not buy water from another system on record; it treats its own source water.
No other system is on record buying water from East Palestine Village.
What the records show about East Palestine Village
Who runs it
EPA's record describes East Palestine Village as owned by a local government. It has 2,100 service connections and serves 4,761 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 2025. Its office telephone on EPA's record is 330-426-7062.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for East Palestine Village: chlorine disinfection, iron and manganese removal, fluoridation, and granular activated carbon.
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 East Palestine Village 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 East Palestine Village was 2.9 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
EPA has 5 sampling periods on file for East Palestine Village 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 East Palestine Village sent EPA, 2,085 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 19 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 58 |
| Unknown material | 889 |
| Not lead | 1,119 |
| All lines | 2,085 |
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 East Palestine Village in 2025 and measured 29 PFAS. No PFAS was detected, PFOA and PFOS (federal limit 4 ng/L each) among them.
The system reported potential PFAS sources near its supply.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of East Palestine Village (latest sample September 2020). Not one of the six PFAS tested (PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS) was detected.
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 East Palestine Village's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 12.2 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 18.2 µg/L and the highest single sample was 21.5 µg/L, from 14 samples taken from 2013 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 0 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 3.4 µg/L and the highest single sample was 5.4 µg/L, from 14 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 12.2 µg/L (2019) | 18.2 µg/L | 21.5 µg/L | 14 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 0 µg/L | 3.4 µg/L | 5.4 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
Nitrate: the highest of 9 samples was 0.21 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2018; 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 2 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 9 | 0.21 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.
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 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.
Farm chemicals and metals
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: barium in 2 of 2 samples, highest 80 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine, alachlor, chromium, cadmium, 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 | 2 of 2 | 80 µg/L | 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.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 2 of 484 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at East Palestine Village tested positive (0.41%); in 2019, the last year on file, 1 of 60 did. E. coli was never found in the 2 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 East Palestine Village adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at East Palestine Village.
Measured fluoride: 0.76 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2017 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.49 to 0.76 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 East Palestine Village, 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
EPA estimated the service area of East Palestine Village with a computer model rather than drawing it from the utility's map, so its edges are approximate.
Counting the people who live in the ZIP codes it overlaps, this atlas estimates 4,630 residents are inside the boundary, 97% of the 4,761 people East Palestine Village 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 — 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
EPA's own record for this system: Enforcement and Compliance History report for OH1500912 (EPA ECHO).
Notable facts: eastpalestine-oh.gov, reviewonline.com, en.wikipedia.org
History: en.wikipedia.org, eastpalestine-oh.gov, norfolksouthern.com, eastpalestine-oh.gov
Water quality: eastpalestine-oh.gov
Planned work: norfolksouthern.com
Capital projects: norfolksouthern.com, reviewonline.com, eastpalestine-oh.gov, morningjournalnews.com
Rates: eastpalestine-oh.gov, morningjournalnews.com
Sewers: eastpalestine-oh.gov, eastpalestine-oh.gov, morningjournalnews.com
Treatment: eastpalestine-oh.gov, data.epa.gov, data.epa.gov, eastpalestine-oh.gov
Supply stress: eastpalestine-oh.gov, epa.gov, reviewonline.com
