Water system
Columbia Park Water System
EPA ID OH1841012 · Cuyahoga County · 2,716 people served
Columbia Park Water System buys its water from Cleveland Public Water System.
The system's record
- Water bodies
- Lake Erie
- Raw intakes
- Cleveland Baldwin
Cleveland Crown
Cleveland Morgan
Cleveland Nottingham - Serves
- 1,308,955 people · Cuyahoga County
- EPA ID
- OH1801212
About this area's water Cleveland Public Water System
Did you know
- The Baldwin plant sits on the site of the 80-million-gallon open-air Fairmount Reservoir, in use 1885-1904 at Stokes Blvd. and MLK Jr. Dr.
- Baldwin's own reservoir held 135 million gallons and was the largest in the world when it was built in the 1920s.
- The Morgan plant honors Garrett A. Morgan, the Black inventor of the gas mask and traffic signal, who used his gas mask to rescue workers in Cleveland's 1916 waterworks tunnel disaster.
- In 2024-25 Cleveland Water ran 646 tests for lithium and 29 PFAS compounds across all four plants and detected none of them.
History5
- 1856Cleveland's first waterworks: a single pump station and 13 miles of mains delivering untreated Lake Erie water; a fountain on Public Square opened Sept. 24.
- 1918Division Avenue Filtration Plant and Pump Station opens near W. 45th St.; rededicated in 1991 as the Garrett A. Morgan Water Treatment Plant.
- 1925Baldwin Filtration Plant opens on the old Fairmount Reservoir site, delivering filtered water to all Cleveland Water customers for the first time.
- 1951-1958Nottingham plant (1951) opens for east/southeast customers and Crown plant (1958) on Clague Rd. in Westlake for west/southwest customers.
- 2023Cleveland Water launches a proactive Lead Service Line Replacement Program using federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Lake Erie water from four offshore intakes is treated at Baldwin, Nottingham, Morgan and Crown with potassium permanganate and powdered activated carbon, coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, chlorine, fluoride, and orthophosphate corrosion control.
Water pressure
No average psi published. Four elevation-based pressure zones also set rates; 5 primary and 13 secondary pump stations, 22 towers/tanks, ~5,400 mi of main.
What it costs
$3.13 per 1,000 gallons
2025 Cleveland residential: $9.85/mo fixed (5/8-1in meter); $23.44/MCF first 0.2 MCF, then $39.84/MCF. 1 MCF = 7,480 gal, so $3.13-$5.33 per 1,000 gal.
Water quality & impurities6
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM Same LRAA at all four plants; range 9.8-65.4. Below MCL, no violation. | 39.4 ppb | 80 | 2025 |
| HAA5 Same at all four plants; range 6.0-14.7. Well below MCL. | 14.7 ppb | 60 | 2025 |
| Lead (90th percentile) Below action level, but 1 of 52 samples hit 1,997 ppb from household plumbing. | 3.15 ppb | 15 | 2024 |
| Copper (90th percentile) 0 of 52 samples above the action level. | 0.06 ppm | 1.3 | 2024 |
| Nitrate Baldwin plant; very low, typical of a Lake Erie source. | 0.45 ppm | 10 | 2025 |
| PFAS (29 compounds) and lithium 646 tests across all four plants; nothing detected. | ND ppt | UCMR5 monitoring | 2024-202… |
EPA compliance record · Columbia Park Water System
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
3 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 1 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 2 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
EPA compliance record · Cleveland Public Water System (treats the water)
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2024 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
1 violation of any kind logged since 2020: 1 for required testing that was missed or reported late.
Projects & plans3
Recent and current work
- Lead Service Line Replacement Program · 2023-present · under construction
Federal BIL funding; ~4,000 lines/yr via the program plus ~2,000 with main work, about 6,000/yr total. - Childcare facility lead line replacement · $2.5 million · 2021-2022 · completed
H2Ohio funding replaced all lead service lines at licensed childcare facilities.
Planned or needed
- System-wide lead service line replacement · planned
~178,000 possible lead connections, 142,000 city-owned; at ~6,000/yr the utility expects a 25-year effort.
Supply stress
Lake Erie supply is ample. Cleveland draws from the central basin, less affected than the western basin where Toledo's 2014 microcystin crisis cut off ~400,000 people, but harmful algal blooms remain the regional treatment risk. UCMR5 found no PFAS at any of the four plants.
Sewers
Sanitary
The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD), not Cleveland Water, provides sanitary sewer service and wastewater treatment across greater Cleveland; NEORSD operates under a federal consent decree to reduce combined sewer overflows into the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie.
Storm
NEORSD runs a regional stormwater management program funded by a stormwater fee; much of Cleveland's older sewer system is combined sanitary/storm, the key driver of the CSO consent decree work.
Sourcesverified
Compiled from the utility's own reports and public records, then independently re-checked against primary sources.
Present in 0 ZIP codes
Serves
No ZIP code has Columbia Park Water System on record as its main water supplier.
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
Columbia Park Water System buys its water from Cleveland Public Water System.
No other system is on record buying water from Columbia Park Water System.
What the records show about Columbia Park Water System
Who runs it
EPA's record says Columbia Park Water System has 1,114 service connections and serves 2,716 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 440-235-5300.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
Columbia Park Water System buys water that Cleveland Public Water System treats first, so the steps that count are the seller's. EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Cleveland Public Water System: corrosion control, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, iron and manganese removal, fluoridation, powdered activated carbon, 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 Columbia Park Water System since 2015.
EPA logs 3 violations of any kind since 2020: 1 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 2 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 2025, the 90th-percentile lead result at Columbia Park Water System 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 4 sampling periods on file for Columbia Park Water System since 2016, the first ending in 2018; 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 Columbia Park Water System sent EPA, 1,127 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 0 |
| Not lead | 1,127 |
| All lines | 1,127 |
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
The water Columbia Park Water System buys is treated by Cleveland Public Water System, so the results below are Cleveland Public Water System's.
EPA's fifth national round of testing (UCMR 5) took 16 samples of the water entering the pipes of Cleveland Public Water System in 2024 to 2025 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 4 plants of Cleveland Public Water System (latest sample August 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 4 plants of Cleveland Public Water System as sampled, most recently June 2025.
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 Columbia Park Water System's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 27 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 40.4 µg/L and the highest single sample was 53.8 µg/L, from 34 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 19.6 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 23.6 µg/L and the highest single sample was 30.8 µg/L, from 34 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 27 µg/L (2019) | 40.4 µg/L | 53.8 µg/L | 34 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 19.6 µg/L | 23.6 µg/L | 30.8 µg/L | 34 |
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
The water Columbia Park Water System buys is treated by Cleveland Public Water System, so the results below are Cleveland Public Water System's.
Nitrate: the highest of 384 samples was 1.34 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2013; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 1.04 mg/L. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic was not detected in 32 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 384 | 1.34 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 32 | 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.
EPA's file lumps the entry-point samples of all 4 plants of Cleveland 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 of Cleveland Public Water System.
Solvents and fuels
The water Columbia Park Water System buys is treated by Cleveland Public Water System, so the results below are Cleveland Public Water System's.
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 37 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 37 | 0 of 37 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 37 | 0 of 37 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 37 | 0 of 37 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 37 | 0 of 37 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 37 | 0 of 37 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 37 | 0 of 37 | 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 of Cleveland Public Water System.
Farm chemicals and metals
The water Columbia Park Water System buys is treated by Cleveland Public Water System, so the results below are Cleveland Public Water System's.
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Not detected: atrazine, alachlor, chromium, cadmium, barium, mercury, selenium, and thallium, in 32 samples each.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 32 | 0 of 32 | not detected | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 32 | 0 of 32 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 32 | 0 of 32 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 32 | 0 of 32 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 32 | 0 of 32 | not detected | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 32 | 0 of 32 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 32 | 0 of 32 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 32 | 0 of 32 | not detected | 0 |
Non-detects count as zero in the highest-result column.
EPA's file lumps the entry-point samples of all 4 plants of Cleveland 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 of Cleveland Public Water System.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 190 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Columbia Park Water System tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 24 did. E. coli was never found in the 102 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 Columbia Park Water System buys its water from Cleveland Public Water System, a system that adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Cleveland Public Water System, which treats the water Columbia Park Water System buys.
Measured fluoride: 0.93 mg/L on average leaving the plants of Cleveland Public Water System, which supplies Columbia Park Water System, in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.81 to 1.38 mg/L across 380 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 16 UCMR 5 samples at Cleveland Public Water System, which supplies Columbia Park 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
The water Columbia Park Water System buys is treated by Cleveland Public Water System, so the results below are Cleveland Public Water System's.
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 2 times in 1,068 raw-water samples, across 1 bloom season (2018); the highest raw-water result was 0.38 µg/L on September 10, 2018. There has been no raw-water detection since 2024.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (1,137 samples).
In all, 2,205 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 24, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 1,068 | 2 | 0.38 µg/L |
| Treated water | 1,137 | 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).
On the map
Show this system's territory on the map — 0 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 OH1841012 (EPA ECHO).
