Water system
Archbold Village
EPA ID OH2600011 · Fulton County · 5,586 people served · owned by a local government
Archbold Village treats its own water from Tiffin River (plus Brush Creek), stored in two reservoirs.
The system's record
- Water bodies
- Tiffin River, Brush Creek
- Raw intakes
- Reservoir
Tiffin River - Serves
- 5,586 people · Fulton County
- EPA ID
- OH2600011
About this area's water
Did you know
- Archbold's plant draws raw water from two different streams — the Tiffin River and Brush Creek — and banks it in two above-ground reservoirs at the plant, pumping from the river only when the water quality is good.
- The system has no lead service lines at all, on either the village side or the owner's side, verified through department records, construction inspections, on-site inspections and meter installations — unusual for a…
- Because the Brunersburg Water District-Evansport, which buys Archbold water, once exceeded the disinfection-byproduct limit at its own master meter, Ohio rules have required Archbold to sample water quality at that…
- Ohio EPA singled out Archbold as an 'Outstanding Water System' with its Award of Excellence in 1997.
- A village of about 5,600 people runs a 7.6 mgd plant and sells water on to Elmira, Burlington, Pettisville, Ridgeville and Evansport — while averaging only about 1.8 mgd of production.
History6
- 1855Village established when the railroad was extended to the site; named for railroad promoter John Archbald, though an alternative tradition holds the name combines 'Arch' and 'Bald,' two other…
- 1948On January 4 a tractor-drawn bobsled carrying thirteen children was struck at an unguarded crossing by a Chicago-bound New York Central passenger train doing about 80 mph. Ten children died — the…
- 1990sVillage begins partnering with the Fulton County and Lenawee County (Michigan) Soil and Water Conservation Districts to fund and promote wetland restoration and conservation measures in the Tiffin…
- 1997Ohio EPA recognized the Archbold Water Department as an 'Outstanding Water System' with its Award of Excellence.
- 2003Ohio EPA source water assessment completed for the village; the Tiffin River/Brush Creek supply is rated highly susceptible to contamination.
- 2012Village developed a local drinking water source protection plan with Ohio EPA assistance, including ongoing Tiffin River monitoring and contacts with watershed groups in Michigan.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Raw water is pumped from the Tiffin River and Brush Creek into two above-ground reservoirs at the plant at 700 North Street, then treated at a Class IV surface water plant rated by Ohio EPA at 7.6 mgd, producing about 1.8 mgd on average. Treatment is conventional filtration with chlorination and…
Source: archbold.comarchbold.com
Water pressure
Not published — no psi figure or pressure-zone map appears in the 2025 CCR or on any village utility page. The village does publish that the system holds 2,000,000 gallons of…
Source: archbold.comarchbold.com
What it costs
$4.74 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $33 a month for water.
Ordinance 2025-37, passed on third reading October 20, 2025 and effective November 19, 2025, sets the 2026 rate schedule that began with the January 1, 2026 billing for December…
Source: archbold.com
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Highest compliance value; range 17.3-46.5 ppb. Byproduct of chlorinating a surface water source. | 46.5 ppb | 80 | 2025 |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) Highest compliance value; range 5.0-16.2 ppb. | 16.2 ppb | 60 | 2025 |
| Nitrate Range 0.00-1.62 ppm. The CCR notes the Tiffin River carries seasonally high nitrate from agricultural runoff. | 1.62 ppm | 10 | 2025 |
| Fluoride Range 0.84-1.29 ppm; water additive plus erosion of natural deposits. | 1.29 ppm | 4 | 2025 |
| Turbidity Range 0.04-0.23 NTU; lowest monthly percentage of samples meeting the limit was 100%. | 0.23 (highest) NTU | TT: 0.3 NTU in… | 2025 |
| Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Range 1.6-2.9. Reported as the ratio of TOC actually removed to TOC required to be removed; above 1 means compliance. | 2.20 (removal… ratio | TT: ratio must… | 2025 |
| Copper June-September 2025 monitoring; range 0.007-0.123 ppm, highest single measurement 0.123 ppm. Zero of 20 samples… | 0.038 (90th… ppm | 1.3 (Action… | 2025 |
| Lead Highest single measurement also <4 ppb. The system contains no lead service lines on either the village side or the… | <4 (90th… ppb | 15 (Action… | 2025 |
| Barium Erosion of natural deposits, drilling waste discharge, metal refineries. | 0.010 ppm | 2 | 2025 |
| Total Chlorine Range 1.1-1.5 ppm; disinfectant residual. | 1.3 ppm | 4 (MRDL) | 2025 |
Source: archbold.com
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA health-based violations since 2015:
- 2022Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) · above the legal limit on average · measured 0.102 MG/L (limit 0.08 MG/L) · returned to compliance
- 2021Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) · above the legal limit on average · measured 0.104 MG/L (limit 0.08 MG/L) · returned to compliance
- 2020Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) · above the legal limit on average · measured 0.1247 MG/L (limit 0.08 MG/L) · returned to compliance
- 2019Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) · above the legal limit on average · measured 0.12353 MG/L (limit 0.08 MG/L) · returned to compliance
EPA's count of 13 includes 9 repeat quarterly violations of the problems listed.
10 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 10 health-based.
Supply stress
Ohio EPA's 2003 source water assessment rates Archbold's supply as highly susceptible to contamination — the default for all surface waters, which are accessible and have short travel times from source to intake. The CCR names an unusually long list of threats in the protection area: agricultural runoff, industrial stormwater, gas…
Source: archbold.com
Sewers
Sanitary
Village-owned wastewater treatment plant with 2.5 mgd design flow and 5.0 mgd peak flow plus overflow retention capability. Treatment is activated sludge with secondary settling and UV disinfection, and from September through May operators run a Biological Nutrient Removal process to strip phosphorus biologically. Effluent discharges to…
Storm
Separate storm sewer system. No stormwater utility fee, drainage plan, or flooding problem is published on the village site.
Source: archbold.comarchbold.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
- 43502 · Archbold62% 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
Archbold Village does not buy water from another system on record; it treats its own source water.
1 system on record buys water from Archbold Village: Brunersburg Wd - Evansport.
What the records show about Archbold Village
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Archbold Village as owned by a local government. It has 2,639 service connections and serves 5,586 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 419-445-4726.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Archbold Village: aeration, corrosion control, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, 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 13 health-based violations for Archbold Village since 2015. Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a required treatment step not carried out. They fall into 4 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 13 includes 9 repeat entries of the problems listed.
EPA logs 10 violations of any kind since 2020: 10 health-based.
| Year | Contaminant or rule | Kind | Measured | Limit | Status in EPA's record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | above the legal limit on average | 0.102 mg/L | 0.08 mg/L | returned to compliance |
| 2021 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | above the legal limit on average | 0.104 mg/L | 0.08 mg/L | returned to compliance |
| 2020 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | above the legal limit on average | 0.1247 mg/L | 0.08 mg/L | returned to compliance |
| 2019 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | above the legal limit on average | 0.12353 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 2025, the 90th-percentile lead result at Archbold Village 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 8 sampling periods on file for Archbold Village 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 Archbold Village sent EPA, 2,561 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 0 |
| Not lead | 2,561 |
| All lines | 2,561 |
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 Archbold Village 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 Archbold Village (latest sample August 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 Archbold Village's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 113.7 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 113.7 µg/L and the highest single sample was 202 µg/L, from 71 samples taken from 2012 to 2019. A yearly average over 80 is not itself a violation, because compliance is judged site by site.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 20.9 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 20.9 µg/L and the highest single sample was 49.5 µg/L, from 72 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 113.7 µg/L (2019) | 113.7 µg/L | 202 µg/L | 71 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 20.9 µg/L | 20.9 µg/L | 49.5 µg/L | 72 |
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 98 samples was 2.27 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2012; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 2.2 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) | 98 | 2.27 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 8 of 8 samples, highest 18 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 | 8 of 8 | 18 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 576 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Archbold Village tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 72 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 Archbold Village adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Archbold Village.
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 0.98 to 1.11 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 Archbold 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.
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 12 times in 238 raw-water samples, across 3 bloom seasons (2016 to 2021); the highest raw-water result was 4.197 µg/L on September 7, 2021. There has been no raw-water detection since 2024.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (100 samples).
In all, 338 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 25, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 238 | 12 | 4.197 µg/L |
| Treated water | 100 | 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 Archbold Village for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $528 a year, about $44 a month.
The sewer bill in the same survey is $506 a year at 5,000 gallons a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $409 | $367 |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $528 | $506 |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $672 | $672 |
The survey lists it as “Archbold”. 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 Archbold 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 4,412 residents are inside the boundary, 79% of the 5,586 people Archbold 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 OH2600011 (EPA ECHO).
Archbold Village's own pages: archbold.com
Notable facts: archbold.com, archbold.com, archbold.com
History: en.wikipedia.org, archbold.com, archbold.com
Water quality: archbold.com
Water pressure: archbold.com, archbold.com
Rates: archbold.com
Sewers: archbold.com, archbold.com
Treatment: archbold.com, archbold.com
Supply stress: archbold.com
