Water system
Swancreek Water District
EPA ID OH2601512 · Fulton County · 1,269 people served · owned by a local government
Swancreek Water District buys its water from Fulton/Lucas Waterline.
The system's record
- Water bodies
- Lake Erie
- Raw intakes
- Toledo Lake Erie
- Serves
- 360,000 people · Lucas County
- EPA ID
- OH4801411
About this area's water Toledo City Of
Did you know
- Collins Park is the largest water-softening plant on Lake Erie and filters about 75 million gallons a day.
- Toledo's 2014 do-not-drink order cut off tap water for roughly half a million people for three days, the first big U.S. city shut down by an algal toxin.
- Toledo voters' 2019 Lake Erie Bill of Rights tried to give the lake legal standing; a federal judge struck it down the next year.
- The system serves parts of Lucas, Wood and Fulton counties in Ohio plus southern Monroe County, Michigan, about 500,000 people in all.
History3
- 2014A western Lake Erie algal bloom pushed microcystin past the intake, forcing a do-not-drink order Aug 2-4 for 400,000 to 500,000 people.
- 2019Toledo voters passed the Lake Erie Bill of Rights charter amendment after the bloom crisis; a federal judge voided it the following year.
- 2025Per the mayor's July 2025 CCR letter, the city is upgrading Collins Park's biologically active filters supporting the ozone system and expanding water main replacements.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Lake Erie water is coagulated and lime-softened at Collins Park, the largest water-softening plant on the lake, filtering about 75 million gallons a day; it then passes through biologically active filters supporting an ozone system and is chlorinated and fluoridated.
Water pressure
not published; no psi figure appears in city materials or the 2024 water quality report
What it costs
$6.49 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $25 a month for water.
2026 city rate $4.858 per 100 cf (=$6.49/1,000 gal) plus $6.00/mo fixed; Lucas County customers on Toledo water pay $18/qtr + $48.58 per 1,000 cf
Water quality & impurities8
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM highest locational running average; single-sample range 34.2-45.9 across 12 sites | 39.1 ppb | 80 | 2024 |
| HAA5 highest locational running average; range 8.8-14.3 | 10.2 ppb | 60 | 2024 |
| Nitrate range <0.2-1.66; well below the limit | 0.88 ppm | 10 | 2024 |
| Lead (90th pct) no individual results above the action level | <4 ppb | AL=15 | 2024 |
| Copper (90th pct) no individual results above the action level | 0.015 ppm | AL=1.3 | 2024 |
| Turbidity range 0.03-0.21; 100% of samples below 0.3 NTU | 0.04 NTU | TT | 2024 |
| PFOS UCMR5; single detection of 0.0076 ppb, unregulated at the time of sampling | <0.007 ppb | n/a | 2024 |
| PFBA UCMR5; single detection of 0.005 ppb, unregulated | <0.005 ppb | n/a | 2024 |
EPA compliance record · Swancreek Water District
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
EPA compliance record · Toledo City Of (treats the water)
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
Projects & plans3
Recent and current work
- Collins Park biologically active filter and ozone system upgrade · 2025 · under construction
cited in the mayor's July 2025 CCR letter; strengthens treatment of algal-bloom organics - Water main replacement program · 2025 · under construction
expanded Capital Improvement Projects for service reliability; no cost published
Planned or needed
- Collins Park 20-Year Master Plan and Needs Assessment · planned
long-range capacity and HAB-response planning document referenced on the utility's tech-info page
Supply stress
The intake sits in western Lake Erie, the epicenter of seasonal harmful algal blooms. Ohio EPA's assessment calls the surface source susceptible, citing nearby sewage plants, combined sewer overflows, farm and urban runoff, dredge disposal and shipping spills. The 2014 crisis remains the defining risk.
Sewers
Sanitary
Toledo's Department of Public Utilities runs the sanitary sewers through its Sewer & Drainage and Water Reclamation divisions. 2026 residential sewer charges are $24.35/month fixed on a 5/8-inch meter plus $6.060 per 100 cf.
Storm
Toledo bills a separate stormwater charge of $3.80 per month for single-family homes under the 2026 rate schedule; older parts of the city have combined sewers.
Sourcesverified
Compiled from the utility's own reports and public records, then independently re-checked against primary sources.
Present in 1 ZIP code
Serves
No ZIP code has Swancreek Water District on record as its main water supplier.
Also present in 1 more ZIP code
- 43515 · Delta1% 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
Swancreek Water District buys its water from Fulton/Lucas Waterline, which buys from Toledo City Of.
1 system on record buys water from Swancreek Water District: Northeast Water System.
What the records show about Swancreek Water District
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Swancreek Water District as owned by a local government. It has 529 service connections and serves 1,269 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 419-822-3656.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
Swancreek Water District buys water that Toledo City Of treats first, so the steps that count are the seller's. EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Toledo City Of: corrosion control, chlorine dioxide, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, iron and manganese removal, fluoridation, lime softening, ozone, powdered activated carbon, and sand or media filtration.
Swancreek Water District adds nothing of its own on that table.
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 Swancreek Water District since 2015.
EPA logs no violations of any kind for Swancreek Water District since 2020.
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 Swancreek Water District 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 6 sampling periods on file for Swancreek Water 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 Swancreek Water District sent EPA, 516 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 0 |
| Not lead | 516 |
| All lines | 516 |
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 Swancreek Water District buys is treated by Toledo City Of, so the results below are Toledo City Of's.
EPA's fifth national round of testing (UCMR 5) took 4 samples of the water entering the pipes of Toledo City Of in 2024 to 2025 and measured 29 PFAS.
PFOA and PFOS were not detected, against a federal limit of 4 ng/L each.
The highest PFAS result was PFBA 5 ng/L.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Toledo City Of (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 1 plant of Toledo City Of as sampled, most recently March 2025.
| Compound | Highest result | Federal limit |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA | not detected | 4 ng/L |
| PFOS | not detected | 4 ng/L |
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 Swancreek Water District's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 54.5 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 63.7 µg/L and the highest single sample was 113 µg/L, from 56 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 14.1 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 19.1 µg/L and the highest single sample was 23.8 µg/L, from 56 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 54.5 µg/L (2019) | 63.7 µg/L | 113 µg/L | 56 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 14.1 µg/L | 19.1 µg/L | 23.8 µg/L | 56 |
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 Swancreek Water District buys is treated by Toledo City Of, so the results below are Toledo City Of's.
Nitrate: the highest of 97 samples was 4.35 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2018; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 2.21 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) | 97 | 4.35 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 8 | not detected | 10 µg/L | 0 |
| Combined radium | 1 | not detected | 5 pCi/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 Toledo City Of.
Solvents and fuels
The water Swancreek Water District buys is treated by Toledo City Of, so the results below are Toledo City Of'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 Toledo City Of.
Farm chemicals and metals
The water Swancreek Water District buys is treated by Toledo City Of, so the results below are Toledo City Of's.
EPA's file holds results for all nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: atrazine in 6 of 26 samples, highest 0.3 µg/L (limit 3); barium in 1 of 8 samples, highest 10 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: alachlor in 26 samples, 2,4-D in 3 samples, chromium in 8 samples, cadmium in 8 samples, mercury in 8 samples, selenium in 8 samples, thallium in 8 samples.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 26 | 6 of 26 | 0.3 µg/L | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 26 | 0 of 26 | not detected | 0 |
| 2,4-D | Farm chemical | 70 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | 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 | 1 of 8 | 10 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 of Toledo City Of.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 97 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Swancreek Water District tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 13 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 Swancreek Water District buys its water from Toledo City Of, 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 Toledo City Of, which treats the water Swancreek Water District buys.
Measured fluoride: 0.85 mg/L on average leaving the plants of Toledo City Of, which supplies Swancreek Water District, in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.85 to 1.08 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 Toledo City Of, which supplies Swancreek Water 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 Swancreek Water District buys is treated by Toledo City Of, so the results below are Toledo City Of'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 95 times in 464 raw-water samples, across 11 bloom seasons (2016 to 2026); the highest raw-water result was 9.91 µg/L on July 30, 2019. The highest raw-water result since 2024 was 4.78 µg/L.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (433 samples).
In all, 897 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 25, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 464 | 95 | 9.91 µg/L |
| Treated water | 433 | 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 estimated the service area of Swancreek Water District with a computer model rather than drawing it from the utility's map, so its edges are approximate.
Source: EPA Service Area Boundaries; resident estimate by this atlas from ZIP-code overlap.
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 OH2601512 (EPA ECHO).
