Water system
Berlin Water Company
EPA ID OH3800012 · Holmes County · 1,896 people served
Berlin Water Company treats its own water from Groundwater wells (4 wells).
The system's record
- Active wells
- 4
- Serves
- 1,896 people · Holmes County
- EPA ID
- OH3800012
About this area's water
Did you know
- Berlin Water Company is a 501(c)(12) nonprofit mutual water corporation founded in 1954, still governed by a monthly board meeting (3rd Tuesday, Berlin Township Community Building) rather than a municipal utility…
- Per its 2024 CCR, the company tested for 35 different contaminants that year and detected only trace, well-under-limit levels of eight of them (including gross alpha radioactivity and disinfection byproducts).
Source: causeiq.comberlinohwater.com
History2
- 1954Berlin Water Company founded as a 501(c)(12) nonprofit mutual water corporation, per its nonprofit registry record (IRS-filing-based).
- 2024Company held an unconditioned Ohio EPA license to operate its water system, per its 2024 Consumer Confidence Report.
Source: causeiq.comberlinohwater.com
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Berlin Water Company draws its drinking water from three (3) groundwater wells located north of Berlin on Township Roads 361 and 362, per its 2024 CCR.
Source: berlinohwater.com
Water pressure
Not published - the CCR and the company's website give no pressure information.
What it costs
We found no rate schedule online; the company's site (berlinohwater.com) lists only contacts and its CCR, not a rates page, and no rate ordinance or board-minutes document…
Water quality & impurities9
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Alpha (radioactive) Range of detections 1.48-4.92 pCi/L; no violation. MCLG 0. Typical source: erosion of natural deposits. | 3.20 pCi/L | 15 | 2024 |
| Total Chlorine (residual disinfectant) Range 1.46-1.67 ppm; no violation. Water additive used to control microbes. | 1.56 ppm | MRDL=4 | 2024 |
| Lead 0 of 10 samples exceeded the 15 ppb action level. Corrosion of household plumbing/natural erosion. | 0.9 ppb (90th… | AL=15 | 2024 |
| Copper 1 of 10 samples exceeded the 1.3 ppm action level. Corrosion of household plumbing/natural erosion. | 0.366 ppm (90th… | AL=1.3 | 2024 |
| Barium Range 0.0705-0.103 ppm; no violation. | 0.103 ppm | 2 | 2024 |
| Fluoride Range 0.32-0.40 ppm; no violation. | 0.40 ppm | 4 | 2024 |
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) By-product of chlorination; no violation, far below MCL. | 0.5 ppb | 80 | 2023 |
| Thallium MCLG 0.5; no violation. | <1 ppb | 2 | 2024 |
| Yearly water quality report (inadequate) EPA federal SDWIS/ECHO record shows five separate violations for an inadequate yearly water quality report (not health-based), with compliance periods opening… | N/A violation | N/A | 2021-202… |
Source: berlinohwater.comdata.epa.gov
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 1.2 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
5 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 5 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
Supply stress
Ohio EPA's source water assessment (cited in the 2024 CCR) rates the aquifer supplying Berlin Water Company as having 'moderate susceptibility to contamination,' recommending protective measures, but no water-quantity/supply stress is described.
Source: berlinohwater.com
Sewers
Sanitary
Berlin Water Company is a water-only mutual company; its CCR and website describe no sewer service.
Source: berlinohwater.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
- 44610 · Berlin Township and Berlin100% of residents
Also present in 1 more ZIP code
- 44654 · Berlin Township and Millersburg3% 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
Berlin Water Company does not buy water from another system on record; it treats its own source water.
No other system is on record buying water from Berlin Water Company.
What the records show about Berlin Water Company
Who runs it
EPA's record says Berlin Water Company has 861 service connections and serves 1,896 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 2025. Its office telephone on EPA's record is 330-473-2362.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Berlin Water Company: corrosion control and chlorine 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's record shows no health-based violations for Berlin Water Company since 2015.
EPA logs 5 violations of any kind since 2020: 5 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 Berlin Water Company was 1.2 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
The highest result on file is 4.4 ppb, in the period ending December 2022.
EPA has 8 sampling periods on file for Berlin Water Company 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 Berlin Water Company sent EPA, 572 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 0 |
| Not lead | 572 |
| All lines | 572 |
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
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Berlin Water Company (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 Berlin Water Company as sampled, most recently August 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 Berlin Water Company's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 0 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 0 µg/L and the highest single sample was 0 µg/L, from 16 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 0 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 0 µg/L and the highest single sample was 0 µg/L, from 16 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 0 µg/L (2019) | 0 µg/L | 0 µg/L | 16 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 0 µg/L | 0 µg/L | 0 µg/L | 16 |
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 was not detected in 25 samples through 2019 (limit 10 mg/L as nitrogen; above 10 is unsafe for infants).
Arsenic was not detected in 10 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 25 | not detected | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 10 | not detected | 10 µg/L | 0 |
| Combined radium | 3 | 5.1 pCi/L | 5 pCi/L | 1 |
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 9 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | 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 10 of 10 samples, highest 339 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine, alachlor, chromium, cadmium, mercury, selenium, and thallium, in 10 samples each.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 10 | 0 of 10 | not detected | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 10 | 0 of 10 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 10 | 0 of 10 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 10 | 0 of 10 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 10 | 10 of 10 | 339 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 | 10 | 0 of 10 | 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 194 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Berlin Water Company tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 24 did. E. coli was never found in the 1 sample 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 Berlin Water Company has fluoride from natural sources, but at a level below what is recommended for preventing tooth decay, and does not adjust it. The level it reports is 0.37 mg/L.
EPA's treatment table lists no fluoridation step at Berlin Water Company.
Measured fluoride: 0.48 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2018 (below the 0.7 mg/L target); samples ran from 0.23 to 0.74 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.
How well the service area is mapped
EPA estimated the service area of Berlin Water Company 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.
Photograph
On the map
Show this system's territory on the map — 2 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 OH3800012 (EPA ECHO).
Notable facts: causeiq.com, berlinohwater.com
History: causeiq.com, berlinohwater.com
Water quality: berlinohwater.com, data.epa.gov
Sewers: berlinohwater.com
Treatment: berlinohwater.com
Supply stress: berlinohwater.com
