Water system
Erie Co. Margaretta District
EPA ID OH2200203 · Erie County · 5,131 people served · owned by a local government
Erie Co. Margaretta District buys its water from Sandusky City.
The system's record
- Water bodies
- Lake Erie, Sandusky Bay
- Raw intakes
- Sandusky Bay
Lake Erie - Serves
- 25,793 people · Erie County
- EPA ID
- OH2201411
About this area's water
Did you know
- Margaretta's water is bought, not made: Erie County buys every gallon it sells, from Sandusky, Huron, Vermilion and the Northern Ohio Rural Water Authority, and Lake Erie is the only source behind all of them.
- In 2025 the district tested quarterly for lithium and six 'forever chemicals' under the federal UCMR5 program and every single result came back non-detect.
- Castalia, the village at the heart of the district, is named after a spring in Greek mythology — and sits beside a real one, the Blue Hole, a 43-to-45-foot-deep karst spring that discharges about 7 million gallons a day…
- Erie County will sell you water by the coin: county-owned penstock dispensers charge 25 cents for every 12 gallons.
History5
- 1836Castalia was laid out; the village takes its name from Castalia of Greek mythology.
- late 1990sThe Castalia Blue Hole, a karst spring that drew up to 165,000 visitors a year at its peak, closed to the public as a tourist attraction.
- 2024Erie County's current water and sewer rate schedules take effect with bills due on or about June 17, 2024 (District A minimum $19.25 for a 5/8" or 3/4" meter; $4.97 per CCF thereafter).
- 2026Jan. 19-21: extreme cold and sustained west/southwest winds restricted raw water reaching Sandusky's Big Island Water Works — ice affected the primary Lake Erie intake and wind pushed water away from…
- 2025The Margaretta District took part in the fifth round of the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5), testing quarterly for lithium and six regulated PFAS; all results were non-detections.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Margaretta treats no water of its own. The Erie County Water Division buys fully treated Lake Erie water from the City of Sandusky and distributes it. Sandusky's Big Island Water Works draws surface water from two intakes: a main intake offshore in Lake Erie and an emergency backup intake in…
Source: eriecounty.oh.goveriecounty.oh.govspectrumnews1.com
Water pressure
Not published. Neither Erie County nor the City of Sandusky publishes distribution pressures for the Margaretta district.
What it costs
$6.64 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $43 a month for water.
Erie County Water District A (the general schedule), effective with bills due on or about June 17, 2024: the first 0-2 CCF (0-200 cubic feet) is covered by a minimum charge set by…
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) Range 13-58.7 ppb, sampled quarterly; by-product of chlorination. No violation. | 49.45 ppb | 80 ppb (MCL) | 2025 |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Range 9.6-56.7 ppb, sampled quarterly; by-product of chlorination. No violation. | 31.13 ppb | 60 ppb (MCL) | 2025 |
| Nitrate Monthly sampling; the CCR prints the range as 0.0-1.45 ppm, which is inconsistent with the level found. Well below the… | 1.6 ppm | 10 ppm (MCL) | 2025 |
| Fluoride Range 0.8-1.13 ppm, monitored daily; added by Sandusky to promote strong teeth. | 0.9 ppm | 4 ppm (MCL) | 2025 |
| Lead (90th percentile) 20 homes sampled; none exceeded the 15 ppb action level for an individual tap. | 2.2 ppb | 15 ppb (AL) | 2025 |
| Copper (90th percentile) 20 homes sampled; none exceeded the action level. | 0.09 ppm | 1.3 ppm (AL) | 2025 |
| Barium Range 0.018-0.018 ppm; erosion of natural deposits. | 0.018 ppm | 2 ppm (MCL) | 2025 |
| Free chlorine Range 0.8-1.8 ppm, monitored continuously. | 1.5 ppm | 4 ppm (MRDL) | 2025 |
| Turbidity Range 0.01-0.14 NTU; 100% of samples met the standard. | 0.14 NTU | 0.3 NTU (TT) | 2025 |
| Manganese Range 0-0.02 ppb; listed as an unregulated contaminant. | 0.0108 ppb | 50 ppb (SMCL… | 2025 |
Source: eriecounty.oh.gov
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 2.2 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
5 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 2 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 3 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 · Sandusky City (treats the water)
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 5 ppb in 2025 (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 & plans1
Recent and current work
- Sandusky intake emergency response, January 2026 · 2026 · completed
Sandusky water plant staff, the Sandusky Fire Department and Public Works crews worked around the clock Jan. 19-21, 2026 to restore raw water flow to the Big…
Source: spectrumnews1.com13abc.com
Supply stress
Moderate and entirely borrowed. The district owns no source: all of its water is purchased treated Lake Erie water from Sandusky, whose two intakes both proved vulnerable in January 2026 — ice at the primary offshore intake and wind-driven drawdown at the Sandusky Bay backup, which together forced a two-day non-essential-use advisory for…
Sewers
Sanitary
Erie County's Department of Environmental Services (554 River Road, Huron; billing at 2900 Columbus Ave., Sandusky) runs the sanitary system, with a Wastewater Collection Division and a Wastewater Treatment Division. Rates effective with bills due on or about June 17, 2024: a $2.00 per-customer US EPA fee, a $16.23 minimum for 0-2 CCF…
Storm
Not published. No stormwater utility, CSO or flooding information specific to the Margaretta service area was found in Erie County or Ohio EPA sources.
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 2 ZIP codes
- 44824 · Margaretta Township and Castalia86% of residents
- 43464 · Townsend Township and Vickery24% of residents
Also present in 1 more ZIP code
- 44870 · Sandusky5% 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
Erie Co. Margaretta District buys its water from Sandusky City.
2 systems on record buy water from Erie Co. Margaretta District: Northern Ohio Rural Water - NW District, Northern Ohio Rural Water-south District.
What the records show about Erie Co. Margaretta District
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Erie Co. Margaretta District as owned by a local government. It has 2,180 service connections and serves 5,131 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 419-433-7303.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
Erie Co. Margaretta District buys water that Sandusky City treats first, so the steps that count are the seller's. EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Sandusky City: aeration, 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 Erie Co. Margaretta District since 2015.
EPA logs 5 violations of any kind since 2020: 2 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 3 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 Erie Co. Margaretta District was 2.2 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
EPA has 6 sampling periods on file for Erie Co. Margaretta District 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 Erie Co. Margaretta District sent EPA, 2,180 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 24 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 0 |
| Not lead | 2,156 |
| All lines | 2,180 |
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 Erie Co. Margaretta District in 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 1 plant of Sandusky City (latest sample September 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 Sandusky City as sampled, most recently June 2026.
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 Erie Co. Margaretta District's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 51.4 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 52.5 µg/L and the highest single sample was 105.1 µg/L, from 62 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 24.9 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 29.5 µg/L and the highest single sample was 48.2 µg/L, from 62 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 51.4 µg/L (2019) | 52.5 µg/L | 105.1 µg/L | 62 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 24.9 µg/L | 29.5 µg/L | 48.2 µg/L | 62 |
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 Erie Co. Margaretta District buys is treated by Sandusky City, so the results below are Sandusky City's.
Nitrate: the highest of 96 samples was 2.04 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2013; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 1.81 mg/L. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic: the highest of 10 samples was 2.2 µg/L (limit 10); detections averaged 2.2; none over the limit.
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 96 | 2.04 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 10 | 2.2 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.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water of Sandusky City.
Solvents and fuels
The water Erie Co. Margaretta District buys is treated by Sandusky City, so the results below are Sandusky City'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 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 of Sandusky City.
Farm chemicals and metals
The water Erie Co. Margaretta District buys is treated by Sandusky City, so the results below are Sandusky City's.
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: atrazine in 1 of 12 samples, highest 0.1 µg/L (limit 3); cadmium in 1 of 10 samples, highest 1.8 µg/L (limit 5); barium in 9 of 9 samples, highest 21.3 µg/L (limit 2,000); thallium in 1 of 13 samples, highest 4.4 µg/L (limit 2, 1 over). Not detected: alachlor in 12 samples, chromium in 10 samples, mercury in 10 samples, selenium in 10 samples.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 12 | 1 of 12 | 0.1 µg/L | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 12 | 0 of 12 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 10 | 0 of 10 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 10 | 1 of 10 | 1.8 µg/L | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 9 | 9 of 9 | 21.3 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 10 | 0 of 10 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 10 | 0 of 10 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 13 | 1 of 13 | 4.4 µg/L | 1 |
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 Sandusky City.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 790 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Erie Co. Margaretta District tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 109 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 Erie Co. Margaretta District buys its water from Sandusky City, 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 Sandusky City, which treats the water Erie Co. Margaretta District buys.
Measured fluoride: 0.94 mg/L on average leaving the plants of Sandusky City, which supplies Erie Co. Margaretta District, in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.9 to 1.03 mg/L across 10 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 Erie Co. Margaretta District, 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 Erie Co. Margaretta District buys is treated by Sandusky City, so the results below are Sandusky City'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 17 times in 291 raw-water samples, across 4 bloom seasons (2016 to 2021); the highest raw-water result was 3.834 µg/L on August 30, 2021. There has been no raw-water detection since 2024.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (307 samples).
In all, 598 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 24, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 291 | 17 | 3.834 µg/L |
| Treated water | 307 | 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).
How well the service area is mapped
EPA's polygon for Erie Co. Margaretta District was misplaced, so this atlas substituted the municipal boundary.
Counting the people who live in the ZIP codes it overlaps, this atlas estimates 5,641 residents are inside the boundary, 110% of the 5,131 people Erie Co. Margaretta District 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 — 3 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 OH2200203 (EPA ECHO).
Notable facts: eriecounty.oh.gov, eriecounty.oh.gov, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org
History: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, spectrumnews1.com, 13abc.com
Water quality: eriecounty.oh.gov
Capital projects: spectrumnews1.com, 13abc.com
Rates: eriecounty.oh.gov, eriecounty.oh.gov
Sewers: eriecounty.oh.gov, eriecounty.oh.gov
Treatment: eriecounty.oh.gov, eriecounty.oh.gov, spectrumnews1.com
Supply stress: eriecounty.oh.gov, spectrumnews1.com
