Water system
Bucyrus City
EPA ID OH1700011 · Crawford County · 12,570 people served · owned by a local government
Bucyrus City treats its own water from Sandusky River (via Outhwaite & Riley up-ground reservoirs).
The system's record
- Water bodies
- Sandusky River, Paul R. Outhwaite Reservoir, Roy Riley Reservoir
- Raw intakes
- Sandusky River
Outhwaite Reservoir
Riley Reservoir - Serves
- 12,570 people · Crawford County
- EPA ID
- OH1700011
About this area's water

Did you know
- Bucyrus does not drink from a river directly: it pumps the Sandusky River into two 'upground' reservoirs and draws from those, so the river's bad days can be waited out rather than treated.
- The Paul R. Outhwaite Reservoir, finished in 1982, holds a full billion gallons across 150 acres - about 300 days of supply on its own.
- The city has built four raw-water reservoirs since 1900 (Neff, Pines, Riley, Outhwaite), but only the two newest are named in the CCR as the current drinking water source.
- The treatment plant now slated for replacement went into continuous operation in May 1950 and was built on a $463,206 bid from Richland Construction Company of Mansfield.
- Bucyrus still runs a combined sewer system laid in the 1930s, and its bill separates out a 'storm water separation' charge for undoing it.
Source: cityofbucyrusoh.uscityofbucyrusoh.uscityofbucyrusoh.us
History6
- 1882Original waterworks installed with Walker steam pumps by the privately owned Bucyrus Development Company, drawing directly from the Sandusky River through wooden mains.
- 1900Neff Reservoir built - 40 acres, 90 million gallons, 1.75 sq mi watershed - the system's first raw-water impoundment.
- 1914Sand filtration began, with a 500,000-gallon clearwell for treated water storage.
- 1919Pines Reservoir added - 38 acres, 58 million gallons, 2.50 sq mi watershed.
- 1926The City of Bucyrus purchased the water works from the Bucyrus Development Company.
- 1939Construction of the city's wastewater treatment plant began, with primary and secondary treatment.
Source: cityofbucyrusoh.uscityofbucyrusoh.uscityofbucyrusoh.us
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Surface water from two upground reservoirs - the 1-billion-gallon Outhwaite on St. Rt. 98 N and the 180-million-gallon Riley on Kiess Road - is treated by lime softening with sand filtration and clearwell storage (a 500,000-gallon clearwell from 1914 and a 1-million-gallon in-ground clearwell from…
Source: cityofbucyrusoh.uscityofbucyrusoh.us
Water pressure
Not published. Storage includes a 500,000-gallon elevated tank on Warren Street plus 500,000-gallon and 1-million-gallon clearwells at the plant; no distribution pressure figure…
Source: cityofbucyrusoh.us
What it costs
$17.65 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $53 a month for water.
Bucyrus bills purely volumetrically with no fixed minimum: $13.20 per billing unit for water since Jan. 1, 2025 (a 15% increase, the first since 2019). The billing unit is a CCF…
Source: cityofbucyrusoh.usdam.assets.ohio.govcityofbucyrusoh.us
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Range 25.1-72.6 ppb; chlorination by-product; no violation. | 72.6 ppb | 80 | 2025 |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) Range 0-17.7 ppb; chlorination by-product; no violation. | 15.7 ppb | 60 | 2025 |
| Total Chlorine Range 1.1-1.7 ppm; disinfectant residual. | 1.6 ppm | MRDL 4 | 2025 |
| Nitrate Range 0.19-1.23 ppm; fertilizer runoff, septic leaching, natural deposits. | 1.23 ppm | 10 | 2025 |
| Fluoride Range 0.73-1.30 ppm; natural deposits plus additive. | 0.99 ppm | 4 | 2025 |
| Barium Drilling wastes, refinery discharge, erosion of natural deposits. | 0.016 ppm | 2 | 2025 |
| Turbidity Range 0.02-0.16 NTU; 100% of samples met the standard. | 0.16 NTU | TT (treatment… | 2025 |
| Total Organic Carbon (removal ratio) Range 1.7-3.9; well above the compliance floor. | 2.5 ratio | TT (must exceed… | 2025 |
| Lead (90th percentile) 0 of 30 samples exceeded the action level. | 0 ppb | 15 (action… | 2025 |
| Copper (90th percentile) 0 of 30 samples exceeded the action level. | 0.029 ppm | 1.3 (action… | 2025 |
Source: cityofbucyrusoh.us
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA health-based violations since 2015:
- 2024Lead and Copper Rule Revisions · lead service line inventory missing or incomplete (a records requirement, not a lead test result) · returned to compliance
- 2017Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · turbidity above the limit in a single reading · returned to compliance
EPA's count of 3 includes 1 repeat quarterly violation of the problems listed.
3 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 2 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records); 1 health-based.
Projects & plans3
Recent and current work
- Lead and copper service line inventory · 2025 · completed
Inventory developed and published under the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions; viewable through the water distribution tab on the city site. No cost published…
Source: cityofbucyrusoh.us
Planned or needed
- New Bucyrus water treatment plant, Beechgrove Road · planned
Planned 3.0 MGD lime-softening plant to replace the 1950 facility. The city's water plant page states the location and capacity; no cost, funding source or… - Wastewater treatment plant replacement · $59 million · proposed
City is advancing discussions with Ohio EPA to replace the 1939-era facility. Local reporting puts the estimate at $62 million initially, reduced to about $59…
Source: cityofbucyrusoh.uscrawfordcountynow.comcrawfordcountynow.com
Supply stress
The 2025 CCR notes that in Ohio all surface waters are considered moderately susceptible to contamination, and names the specific threats in the Bucyrus source water protection area: agriculture, a hazardous waste landfill, new home construction, junk yards, roadways and railways. Supply is buffered rather than run-of-river - roughly…
Sewers
Sanitary
City-run wastewater treatment plant discharging tertiary-treated effluent to the Sandusky River under NPDES permit 2PD00021*MD. Average daily flow 3.4 MGD, peak capacity 6.0 MGD, designed for a population of 15,500. Process train: influent pumping, primary settling, activated-sludge secondary treatment, tertiary filtration, UV…
Storm
Bucyrus operates a COMBINED sewer system dating from the 1930s that collects both sanitary and stormwater flow - the single most consequential fact about its wastewater system. The city runs a separate storm water management program; Ohio EPA's 2022 rate…
Source: cityofbucyrusoh.uscityofbucyrusoh.uscityofbucyrusoh.us
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
- 44820 · Bucyrus69% 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
Bucyrus City does not buy water from another system on record; it treats its own source water.
1 system on record buys water from Bucyrus City: Nevada Village.
What the records show about Bucyrus City
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Bucyrus City as owned by a local government. It has 5,937 service connections and serves 12,570 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 419-562-6767.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Bucyrus City: corrosion control, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, dechlorination, iron and manganese removal, fluoridation, granular activated carbon, lime softening, powdered activated carbon, sand or media filtration, and ultraviolet disinfection.
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 3 health-based violations for Bucyrus City since 2015. Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a required treatment step not carried out. They fall into 2 separate problems (one contaminant or rule in one year); the table lists them all.
EPA logs a violation for each compliance period a problem lasts, so the count of 3 includes 1 repeat entry of the problems listed.
EPA logs 3 violations of any kind since 2020: 2 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records); 1 health-based.
| Year | Contaminant or rule | Kind | Measured | Limit | Status in EPA's record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Lead and Copper Rule Revisions | lead service line inventory missing or incomplete (a records requirement, not a lead test result) | not on file | not on file | returned to compliance |
| 2017 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | turbidity above the limit in a single reading | not on file | not on file | 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 2025, the 90th-percentile lead result at Bucyrus City 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.
EPA has 10 sampling periods on file for Bucyrus City 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 Bucyrus City sent EPA, 5,538 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 19 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 161 |
| Unknown material | 3,993 |
| Not lead | 1,365 |
| All lines | 5,538 |
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 Bucyrus City in 2023 to 2024 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 Bucyrus City (latest sample October 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 Bucyrus City as sampled, most recently April 2024.
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 Bucyrus City's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 31.8 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 53.6 µg/L and the highest single sample was 91.1 µg/L, from 128 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 11.8 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 18.4 µg/L and the highest single sample was 34.6 µg/L, from 128 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 31.8 µg/L (2019) | 53.6 µg/L | 91.1 µg/L | 128 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 11.8 µg/L | 18.4 µg/L | 34.6 µg/L | 128 |
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 95 samples was 1.15 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2017; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 0.78 mg/L. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic was not detected in 8 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 95 | 1.15 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 8 | 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 8 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | 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 7 of 8 samples, highest 40 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine, alachlor, chromium, cadmium, mercury, selenium, and thallium, in 8 samples each.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 8 | 7 of 8 | 40 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | 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, 0 of 962 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Bucyrus City tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 120 did.
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 Bucyrus City adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Bucyrus City.
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 0.93 to 1.14 mg/L across 8 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 Bucyrus City, last sampled in 2024 (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 3 times in 219 raw-water samples, across 1 bloom season (2017); the highest raw-water result was 0.667 µg/L on October 31, 2017. There has been no raw-water detection since 2024.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (84 samples).
In all, 303 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 12, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 219 | 3 | 0.667 µg/L |
| Treated water | 84 | 0 | not detected |
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 Bucyrus City for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $767 a year, about $64 a month.
The sewer bill in the same survey is $581 a year at 5,000 gallons a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $430 | $290 |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $767 | $581 |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $1,118 | $920 |
The survey lists it as “Bucyrus”. 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
EPA estimated the service area of Bucyrus City 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 11,848 residents are inside the boundary, 94% of the 12,570 people Bucyrus City 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 OH1700011 (EPA ECHO).
Bucyrus City's own pages: cityofbucyrusoh.us
Notable facts: cityofbucyrusoh.us, cityofbucyrusoh.us, cityofbucyrusoh.us
History: cityofbucyrusoh.us, cityofbucyrusoh.us, cityofbucyrusoh.us, cityofbucyrusoh.us
Water quality: cityofbucyrusoh.us
Planned work: cityofbucyrusoh.us, crawfordcountynow.com, crawfordcountynow.com
Water pressure: cityofbucyrusoh.us
Capital projects: cityofbucyrusoh.us
Rates: cityofbucyrusoh.us, dam.assets.ohio.gov, cityofbucyrusoh.us
Sewers: cityofbucyrusoh.us, cityofbucyrusoh.us, cityofbucyrusoh.us, dam.assets.ohio.gov
Treatment: cityofbucyrusoh.us, cityofbucyrusoh.us
Supply stress: cityofbucyrusoh.us, cityofbucyrusoh.us
